


forelsket

by kosmicgirl



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Angst, Drama, E-mail, Family Drama, Fashion Designer, Fluff, M/M, Modeling, Online Relationship, Pen Pals, Social Media
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-27
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-03-03 18:54:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 75,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2865431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kosmicgirl/pseuds/kosmicgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gemma Styles is one of the most famous fashion designers in the world. Harry Styles, her brother, an incredible handsome model, is the face of Gemma's new firm. </p><p>Louis Tomlinson, is just a normal, typical twenty year-old lad, living in Wales. </p><p>Everything changes one night, when Harry misspells an e-mail address and Louis gets it. </p><p>Or the one where Harry and Louis are kind of pen pals and start falling for each other, then Harry decides to meet Louis in person.</p><p>Text copyright © 2015 by kosmicgirl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the beginning

**\\\FORELSKET: the word for when you start to fall in love. A euphoria in a sense; the beginning of love. (DANISH)**

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:18PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: (no subject)

Hey there! We're running a little late and Gemma has been bugging all day, but will you please take care of Dusty? Thanks!

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:24PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

I think you have the wrong e-mail address... but since I'm a dog owner too, I didn't want poor Dusty stranded so I thought I'd write back and let you know.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:33PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Oh, sorry about that. I have a new phone, and I thought I had synchronize all contacts... but thanks anyway! Dusty and I appreciate it. (She's a cat by the way.)

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:34PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

A cat? What kind of name is Dusty for a cat? No offence, but that's a pretty bad name.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:36PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Heyyy... it's a pretty good name. Actually, I came up with it. Everybody loved it.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:42PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Okay, okay then. Guess Dusty has to live with it. Anyway, I'm sorry I can't take care of good old Dusty.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:47PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Well, that's really a shame. Or maybe not since you own a dog and Dusty doesn't like dogs. Not even the internet stranger ones.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:51PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Well, excuse you, but everybody here loves Bruce. Even the internet strangers, that could possibly be a creepy old man.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:54PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

I'm not a creepy old man! Maybe you're the creepy old man...

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:56PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Yep. You got me. Fat, bald, creepy and old.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:57PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

What a catch! Guess this is my lucky day...

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:59PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Hey, don't be sassy on me!

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:01PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

You started being sassy! Why can't I be sassy too?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:02PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Because. Also, no one else can be sassy here except me. Those are the rules, I don't make them.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:05PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Sure, you don't make them... so you're not a old creepy man?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:06PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Nope. Well, I'm a man-sort of. Boy. I'm a guy. What about you?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:08PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

I'm a guy too! I'm 18 so I'm kind of boyish-manish.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:09PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

JEEZ! Don't give out personal information to a stranger!! What if I was in fact a creepy old man lying to you? Damn it.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:12PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Well, you don't sound like a creepy old man, and you're sassy, so you're either a boy my age, or an old man tired of the world.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:14PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

How do you know how I sound? Are you trying to imply you know me by how I write? Because let me tell you, it's pretty average. And not your age literally... I'm 20.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:15PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Who's giving out personal information now, huh? And yes, I can actually see the depth of your soul by noticing how you write.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:16PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Oh god, please tell me you're not one of those.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:18PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

What are you talking about?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:22PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

One of those maniacs who believe in all that shit.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:23PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

I'm not. I was just trying to make conversation.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:24PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Oh. Sorry.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:25PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Don't worry.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:26PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

So... weren't you running late?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:27PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Oh yeah, right. I probably should get back to it...

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:29PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

It's okay. It was actually pretty interesting.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:31PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

What was interesting?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:33PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Talking to you. To a stranger, I guess.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:34PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Yeah, it was nice talking to you.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:36PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

I'm sorry I couldn't take care of Dusty.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:37PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Don't worry. She will forgive you. But Gemma on the other hand... my sister can be pretty harsh sometimes.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:39PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Oh, so Gemma is your sister? I wasn't sure if I could ask, the doubt has been bugging me all this time.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:42PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Yes, she's my sister...

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:43PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Oh right. Sorry for keeping you here. You're free to stop replying.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:45PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

No, no it's okay. Actually I enjoy this.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:47PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Me too! It was really nice to meet you. (Or kind of)

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:48PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Hey, L?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:49PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Yes, H?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:51PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Can I e-mail you again tomorrow?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:52PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Well, I don't know if you actually CAN, but you sure may...

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:53PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Oh please, tell me you're not one of those.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:54PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Are you making fun of me? What are you talking about?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:55PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Tell me you're not a grammar nazi.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:57PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Ohhhh... yeah I'm one of those.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:58PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Thank God I have my autocorrector.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:01AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

That's cheating by the way.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:03AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

So...

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:04AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

So?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:05AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

May I e-mail you tomorrow?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:06AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

I don't know, because you know, it's not my priority to sit by the computer and answer e-mails from strangers...

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:07AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

But?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:08AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

But... this is really nice. So yeah, maybe I will answer. Besides, I don't like good-byes.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:09AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Well then, maybe I won't say good-bye. Instead, I will say hello!

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:11AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Perfect! And I will say good morning!

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:12AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

But it's not morning.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:14AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Actually, it is.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:15AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Right, I'm talking to a grammar nazi.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:16AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Oh god, it's too early for you to be complaining.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:17AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Sorry.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:18AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

It's okay. Until tomorrow...

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:19AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Is that your way of saying good-bye without actually saying it?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:21AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Maybe. But I'm not done saying hello yet.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:22AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Me neither. Hi.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:23AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Hi.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:24AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Good morning.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:25AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

I already said that.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:24AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Yeah, but it really is, isn't it?

————————————-


	2. not the only one, but the favourite one

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 10:41AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: (no subject)

Good morning L.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 10:49AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re:(no subject)

Hey H. How was your party yesterday? Did you have fun?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 10:51AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: boring party

Not really. There was a lot of people I didn't even know. But I had to go, because of my sister.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 10:53AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: boring party

Right. Gemma is always dragging you to parties. Why do you always accept if you don't want to go?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 10:55AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: boring party

Well, it's part of her job... so I'm actually doing it for her.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 10:57AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: boring party

Such a good brother. I wish I had siblings.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 10:58AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: boring party

You don't have brothers? Sisters?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:01AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: broken family

Nope. It's just me and mum. And Bruce. But we're fine.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:03AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: broken family

Oh, I'm sorry about that. I don't have a dad either. Well, there's Robin... my step-dad. But it's not the same. Anyways, it's been a while where it's just been me and Gemma. And Dusty. So... I know it's not the same, but I kind of understand you. I'm sorry again.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:05AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: such a sap

Are we getting sappy now? I told you H, it's fine. Besides, I think it's better this way.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:06AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: such a sap

Okay then. Sorry again. And you know I'm a little sensitive.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:05AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: such a sap

Just a little? Dear god, H. You're like a fragile puppy.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:06AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: such a sap

Is that a bad thing?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:07AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: such a sap

Nope. I like fragile puppies.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:08AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: I'm not the only one

Oh, so there's more fragile puppies you like?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:09AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: I'm not the only one

Yeah. But you're my favourite.

————————————-

"Harry, shut that damn laptop now, we have to go!" Gemma shouts from the door of Harry's room.

"Ughhhh, Gems!" Harry groans.

"I told you, we have to go, we have brunch," Gemma says, trying to lock a bracelet on her right wrist.

"We can have brunch here," Harry says, standing up from his bed to help out Gemma.

"But we're meeting—,"

"No, please not another social brunch," Harry groans, letting his head fall back.

"Harry, you know we need this, it's for the new season line and you know, you're the principal model," Gemma says trying to give him a feeling of reassurance.

"Like every damn season," Harry says under his breath.

"Don't act like you hate it, you like being a model and the clothes and meeting the others," Gemma says, crossing her arms in her chest, "Besides, why are you complaining now? What's so important over there, what are you doing?"

Harry looks at his laptop screen, the just-received e-mail opened.

"Nothing it's just, I don't feel like socializing right now," Harry says.

"Please Harry, come with me," Gemma says pouting her lips.

Harry looks to Gemma, and then back at the screen. He sighs before nodding.

"Okay then, but let me just do something quick and I'll be ready."

"Best brother in the world," Gemma says smiling and leaving Harry's room.

Harry smiles at that, remembering the e-mail from him. _Such a good brother._

He turns back to his laptop and thinks about his answer to the e-mail.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 11:14AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: I'm not the only one, but I'm the favorite one

Thank God you're my favourite too. 

 


	3. this is what happy looks like

Louis sighs and closes his laptop, letting chills run down his spine, smile slowly appearing in his face.

It's been a good couple of months, Louis thinks. It's amazing how in a few months, he has developed a friendship through e-mails.

Friendship? Well, that's what it looks like. Even though, Louis can't deny he's feeling something else towards this... boy. _For fuck sakes._ He's not even sure _he_ is a _boy._

But he likes it. Whatever this is, he damn likes it. And he would be lying if he says he's not waiting either on the computer or his phone for an e-mail. Because he is. Every damn minute of every damn hour of every damn day. Since it began.

"Love, dinner is getting cold!"

"M' going!"

Louis stands from the bed and pushes himself away from his laptop, knowing that even if _he_ decides to answer, he will get a notification on his phone.

"There you are love," Jay, Louis' mom, says. "I thought maybe you didn't want to have dinner. Even if it's your special today; lasagna."

"Mom, you know I never miss dinner here at Thursdays because of that."

Jay chuckles at that, because duh, he's right. See, everyday, Jay cooks something different. But there are traditions.

Like every first Sunday of the month, Jay and Louis get breakfast at the Waffle House in their PJs. Every Wednesday, whenever it's not chilly or cold, they go and get an ice-cream cone, around 6 pm when the sun is setting down and the stars and the moon start shinning; and if it's cold, or the weather it's not appropriate for ice-cream, they would go for hot cocoa instead. At least twice a month, on Fridays or Saturdays, they go together to the cinema. Or every Thursday for example, they eat lasagna, because it's only Louis' favorite and he likes it very much.

So yeah, they have traditions and it's a beautiful routine. Because it's only them, Louis and Jay. And it's nice. Most of the time. And not only that, but they only have each other, so there's that too.

"Well, you know Lou, I've been watching a few changes on you," Jay says, grabbing her plate and putting some lasagna and salad in it.

"Changes?" Louis says, already taking his plate to get lasagna too.

"Yeah," Jay says, "You changed the flavor of your tea for example. You are starting to wear socks with your shoes. You are starting to play piano again, although that one is nice."

And yeah, now that Jay says it, she's right. Only because H told Louis that his favorite tea flavor is mint, so he had to try it, okay? And well, H also suggested to Louis that he should wear socks because he might get a cold, even though it's summer. And okay, maybe H said he likes the piano. So what? Those changes are not harmful, right?

"Well, sometimes it's good to get out of the routine, you know mom? Maybe we should do it once," Louis says, not really looking at her, but trying to grab lasagna with his fork.

"Oh, so you're telling me you want changes now? How about I stop cooking lasagna then?"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Louis shouts almost immediately.

Jay laughs at that, her eyes crinkling, Louis joining her only after calming down, because it was totally overreacted. He is always being dramatic. It's just how he is.

"See? We are fine with routines. We don't need changes. Our life is simple and calm, as it's supposed to be," Jay says serious now, looking at Louis and taking her glass of water.

"I guess so," Louis only whispers, because well, if things had been a little different since the beginning, maybe life wouldn't be so... boring. Sometimes.

And Jay smiles, knowing Louis understands. Because see, it has been the two of them always, and they understand each other, and they know the struggle they have been through, so yeah. Routine and a calm life it's what they are made for.

So Louis' mind is in peace until he finishes his dinner, washes the dishes and gets back to his room. Because now that he thinks about it, he hasn't received a new e-mail.

And when he turns his laptop on, he only notices _he_ hasn't answered because Louis' e-mail hasn't been sent. Louis' e-mail is in the draft folder. 

"Damn you, cheap internet," Louis hisses under his breath. He tries to send it again, because he's now imagining H waiting for his reply.

Although maybe Louis is the only one waiting for an e-mail. Maybe he's the one always interrupting H life.

No wait, H has started conversations. H has been the first sometimes. So it's not only Louis. Besides, since the beginning, H was the one who wanted to keep e-mailing.

Good. Louis' soul is in peace, again.

And the e-mail is sent. Finally.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2013 7:23PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: hello

Don't you hate it when people use smiley faces on their e-mails?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2013 7:26PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: hello

:)

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2013 7:27PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: hello

I'm going to ignore that. And if you continue, I'm going to ignore you too.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2013 7:28PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: hello

:) :) :)

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2013 7:29PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: hello

Oh for god sakes, H.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2013 7:30PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: hello

Sorry :)

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2013 7:31PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: hello

Okay bye.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2013 7:32PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: hello

Okay, okay I'm sorry. Jeez, why can't I look happy on my e-mails?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2013 7:33PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: hello

Because that's not what happy looks like!

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2013 7:34PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: hello

Okay so, what does happy look like then?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2013 7:37PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: This is what happy looks like

Sunny days. Ice-cream in waffle cones. White vans with doodles. Sweaters that are too long that cover my hands. The smell of Christmas. Tea in a rainy day. Books with unique endings. Thunderstorms. Thursdays, but only when the sun is down. PJs and their soft fabric. The way my dog Bruce curls with me when we are about to sleep. Hugs after a long day. Genuine smiles of unknown people. The absence of smiley faces on e-mails.

What does it look to you? 

 


	4. the only one that's here for me

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:37PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: hi

Do you think we will meet someday?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:39PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: hi

Jeez. I don't know. We don't even know our names. We don't know where we live. I don't even know how you physically look. To be honest, I'm scared.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:40PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: hi

But you want to, right? You want to meet me.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:41PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: hi

Well, I would have to think about it. I mean, aren't you scared? You don't know me.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:42PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: I want to meet you

Well, that's the point. I want to meet you.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:43PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: I want to meet you

But we don't know each other!!! I don't know where you live, not even your name.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:46PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: I want to meet you

I'm Harry. I live in London. I'm 18. You already knew that.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:47PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: I want to meet you

Damn it!!! What did I tell you about giving out information? I could be someone dangerous!

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:48PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: I want to meet you

But you're not. We have been talking for almost four months, and we haven't kidnapped each other or stolen money. There's no danger.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:49PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: I want to meet you

I guess you're right.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:50PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: I want to meet you

So?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:52PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: I want to meet you

What?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:53PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: I want to meet you

Your name. Location. Tell me.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:54PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: I want to meet you

I don't want to tell you! This could change everything. Our pen-pal relationship it's not going to be the same if I tell you.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:56PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: I want to meet you

Oh c'mon! I told you my name and where I live!! It's your turn.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:57PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Reckless boy

Well, I didn't ask you for it, did I? Besides, you are only 18, you are clearly more reckless than me.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 1:58PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Reckless boy

You have to trust me.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 2:02PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Reckless boy

 But if I trust you, that leaves me unprotected.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 2:04PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Reckless boy

It may leave you unprotected and it may not be the most intelligent thing but, I promise you that you don't need protection to open yourself with me, I won't hurt you and instead of doing a safe intelligent move, you're going to be brave for throwing yourself into the unknown.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 2:07PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Reckless boy

Well, aren't you the perfect poetic kidnapper? I'm Louis. I live in Cardiff. I'm 20.  But you already knew that.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 8, 2013 2:08PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: The reckless and the brave

Nice to meet you Louis :)

————————————-

[COUPLE OF DAYS LATER]

 "Are you ready to order?" the waiter in front of them asks.

"Yeah, for me, could you please bring a bagel with cream cheese, a fruit salad and mineral water?" Cara says, leaving the menu on the table.

"Uh, for me, just yoghurt with fruit please," Harry says not really sure, "And a cup of black coffee. That would be all, thanks," Harry says, taking Cara's menu with his and giving it to the waiter.

"Right, I'll bring everything in a minute," and with that, the waiter is gone with the menus.

"Oh God, we have been here for four minutes and paps are already buzzing outside the restaurant," Cara says, turning to see outside of the building, through the window, at least seven paparazzis trying to look through the glass to take a glimpse of the _couple_.

"You know it's always like this in London," Harry says, not even looking at the window, "There's never privacy here."

"Well, yeah but I'm not in my best outfit today," Cara says, looking at her ripped jeans and worn out VANS t-shirt.

"Well, me neither, but I'm not complaining," Harry says, watching Cara.

"Oh please," Cara says, rolling her eyes, "Besides, now they are going to write again about how we are dating and all that bullshit."

"I don't even know why it bothers you," Harry says, "We know it's not true and I'm pretty sure I have told you my interests."

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Cara says dismissing him with her hand, "I'm still mad about them."

"Don't let them bug you, just ignore them."

Cara turns back to see Harry and nods to him, ignoring the fact that more people and paps are gathering around.

"Anyway, let's change topic," Harry says, leaning on the back of the chair.

"Have you thought about what I told you?" Cara says after a few seconds, leaning in the table, now paying full attention to Harry.

"I don't know Cara, I mean, I don't want to get all full on jobs and then let Gemma down," Harry says, leaning into the table as well, not wanting to be heard.

"But it's Karl! He wants you! You know how hard is to get Karl's attention?" Cara says, raising her voice just a bit.

"Yeah, but I mean, Chanel? I don't even know what's the deal and you know Chanel it's pretty much the competition of Gemma's clothe line," Harry says.

"Well, that's why I want you to at least go and talk to him! And if Gemma is what bothers you, maybe bring Gemma with you to the meeting with Karl," Cara says, picking with her slim fingers the bread in the little nest in the table.

"Bring Gemma? With Karl Lagerfeld?" Harry asks incredulous.

"Yeah! You never know how that could turn out, besides, I know Gemma is trying to compete with the big ones, but I know Karl has heard of Gemma, so it would be a good thing to present them."

"Yeah well," Harry says, not even sure, "I'll talk to Gemma and I'll let you know."

"I'm just telling you Styles," Cara says with a playful smile, "Don't let this opportunity fly away."

Harry nods at that, not sure of what to say and in that moment the waiter arrives with their food.

"Thank god, I was starving," Cara says, taking the bagel immediately and biting it.

"I sometimes wonder how all that food is able to fit in that little body of yours," Harry says, shaking his head chuckling.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:21AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: help

If you had one big opportunity, that might hurt your loved ones, would you take it?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:29AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: help

Depends. What's the matter?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:31AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: help

There's something going on with... my school. It's a project. And a professor wants me to do this kind of project, but I'm not really sure about it.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:33AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: help

Omg, are you being harassed by a professor? Harry, don't let him do that to you!!

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:34AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: help

Jesus, no Louis, it's not that. It's a simple project. But let's say, that my professor might want me to do the project alone, but I always work with my team... I don't want to let down my team.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:36AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: help

Have you told your team-mates about it?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:37AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: help

No

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:38AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: help

Is this project going to give you credits or something?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:39AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: help

Kind of. Yeah. Experience for my résumé and stuff.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:40AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: help

So early on your career? Well, that's weird. Maybe you have to talk to your mates about the project or convince the professor to let you do this in teams. You can always try.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:42AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: help

Yeah I guess you're right.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:43AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: help

I'm always right Harold, don't be silly.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:44AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: help

I forgot your modesty.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:45AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: help

I was just kidding! You know I'm always kidding.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:46AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: help

Yeah I know. But I like when you surrender to me.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:47AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: You are mean.

Damn it, H. You make me look weak. I'm not helping you anymore.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:48AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Please.

But you have to. You're the only one that it's here for me.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:49AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Okie then.

Awww, getting soft for me. That's what I like. Then I'll be here for you, always.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:50AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: :)

Thanks Lou.

————————————-

[NEXT DAY]

"H, I don't think I should have come," Gemma says, getting out of the taxi cab.

"Come on, Gems," Harry says turning to see her, "I told you, if I'm accepting to do this, it's because I want you with me."

"But what if they say no? What if they don't want me?" Gemma says worried, like if she wasn't enough or good; but she is. She's so good and enough for everybody.

"In that case, I will not accept the deal," Harry says, taking her arm and dragging her with him inside the offices. Gemma only nods, not sure with big worried eyes and stone face.

And they get inside the Chanel offices, a clean, wide space. Some abstract modern furniture, but some other unique vintage ones, since the building is old and all that.

There's a receptionist on the lobby, with a huge counter in front of her, her little head just visible because of the height of the counter and the word CHANEL in its font it's across the counter, all black with a white background.

They approach to the counter, but even then the lady doesn't take off her eyes of the computer.

Harry tries and clears his throat, "Uhm, hi—hello," his voice trying to sound serious and manly, like, if the deep of his voice wasn't enough, "We are here to—,"

"Welcome Mr. Styles," the lady says finally, looking up and smiling gently, "Mr. Lagerfeld is waiting for you."

Gemma's nerves are about to explode because the receptionist doesn't seem to have noticed her until she stands up and looks to them.

"Oh, Ms. Gemma Styles," the lady says with a genuine smile now, "What a surprise. Nice to meet you," the lady says, stretching her hand and waiting for Gemma to answer.

And of course, with that, Gemma's confidence is back and in no time, she's shaking the lady's hand and smiling, "Pleasure is mine."

"Oh please," the lady says smiling so big, "I saw your upcoming pre-winter line and it was absolutely delightful! I'm so excited to be able to buy your stuff."

And yeah, now that Harry notices, he can recognizes the skirt and blazer the lady is wearing. Because it's from Gemma's brand.

"Thanks," it's the only thing that Gemma has managed to say, her cheeks all red from the compliments of the receptionist. With that, the receptionist nods and turns in her heels, starting to walk, and Harry and Gemma only follow without asking.

They get in a lift, and the lady press the penthouse button. Of course, Karl should have his office on the penthouse, Harry thinks. He's only the head designer of the Chanel house. So.

When they arrive to the penthouse, Harry is surprised because, it's not an office, but rather a room, with walls made of glass, so the city can be watched from there. There's a couple of vintage couches and a large table with food in one of the sides of the room. Only after a few seconds, Harry notices, there's also a balcony, with a table and a few chairs outside; there's where Karl is waiting for them.

When the lady notices they have seen Karl, she speaks again, "Enjoy your time here," she says with a light smile before turning and leaving.

Everything looks so nice and organized, even if there's not a lot of stuff there. So neat and clean.

"Come on then," Harry says, taking Gemma's arm again and starting to walk.

And when they arrive to the balcony, sliding the door open, only then Karl turns to greet them.

"Mr. Harry Styles," he says, half smile, the way he always does, giving his hand for Harry shake, "A pleasure."

Harry smiles then, "Mr. Lagerfeld—,"

"Please, call me Karl," he says, taking Harry's hand and shaking it for a few seconds.

"This is my sister—,"

"Gemma Styles, yes I know her," he turns to see her, giving her a half smile too, "Delighted to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine sir," Gemma says with a shaky voice, giving out her hand too, "Really, a dream come true, coming here to meet you."

He only nods before motioning for them to sit in the chairs. They oblige and take their sits, having the weather on their side, because it's only a beautiful day in London and for being summer, it looks like the sky is clear and there's no sign of rain near.

"So your visit must only mean that Cara has told you about my offer," he says, leaning back in his chair, "May I take it as good news then?"

"Well, not to be rude of anything sir, but I'm here to negotiate with you—I mean, if there's some way to, do it—if you are like—open to it."

And well, maybe Harry is nervous too, okay? So maybe he didn't quite understand Gemma until now.

"Everyone comes here to negotiate," he says, like it's no big deal, "So go ahead and talk, son."

"Well, thing is sir—Karl, I'm really interested in your offer," Harry says smiling, "Being the principal face for your Spring 2014 line, I mean, it's only absolutely amazing."

Karl nods, with his neutral expression.

"But I don't know if you know it, but my sister here is also a fashion designer and, I've been the face of her firm, like since the very beginning and it's only because of her that I'm famous, so you know—I mean, it would be very pleasant if, Gemma could be in the project as well, like, with me, because I don't feel like abandoning her, sir."

"Not to bring you down kid, but I already knew your sister was a fashion designer," he says, with a calm voice, almost impossible to detect the reaction of Karl, "And I surely understand what you are talking about, but..." and he shuts up. Just like that. He closes his mouth to think.

And Gemma is sweating like a pig, because this could or could not define her career, as well as Harry's. And Mr. Lagerfeld may or may not accept. And they are both about to die.

"I think we can arrange something son, if it's that important for you," he says, smiling now, hearing both, Gemma and Harry breathe again, and he only rolls his eyes at that, because it's always the same with people, "Besides, I think you have a great potential kid," he turns to Gemma, getting a surprised wide smile from her, "We could surely work together for the line your brother is going to present."

Gemma nods eagerly, filled with excitement and Harry smiles fondly at her sister, because Gemma is the only person, the only part of his life, that it's still here, present and real, after all these years. It's been the two of them, only them, for a while now, so it's really nice to see that even though things have changed, they are still going strong, together.

"Well, it's settled then," Karl says standing up, "It's been a pleasure to meet you both, and even though London is lovely, I have to get back to Paris," he says, waiting for Harry and Gemma to stand up, "It's a shame though, because back in Paris, we don't have a creative space like this."

"A creative space?" Harry asks, not understanding.

"Yes, this is a space for the employees where they can relax and be free for a while," he says inhaling the fresh London air, "We don't have that in Paris, I'm sorry Gemma."

"Why are you apologizing for, sir?" Gemma says, shocked and doubtful.

"Well, because you will have to settle for Starbucks in Paris, once we start working together, next week. Though I'm making plans to arrange the office back in Paris. This is nice."

"I'm going to Paris? With you sir?" Gemma asks, again with her smile so big that could break her face in any moment.

"Well of course young lady," he says, like it's the most obvious thing ever, "I'm sorry for taking your sister Harry, but if she's down with the project with you, she has to work; it will be just a couple of months."

"No need to worry sir, I can always visit, right?" he says chuckling.

"Of course," Gemma says, turning to see him with the most grateful eyes ever.

"It's time for me to go, but Gemma," Karl says, before leaving the balcony, "I'll see you next Monday in my office, Harry, we will be in touch, I'm sure of that, until then...  _Au revoir!_ "

 


	5. maybe just a little

"I swear to God, Zayn, if you don't leave that stupid magazine, I will kill you," Louis says, folding some shirts on the shelves, "The boss is coming down in an hour, and you haven't done anything I told you to."

"Chillax, mate," Zayn says, passing one page of the magazine, "How many times have I told you, boss never comes because we have the luck that the boss is Liam's dad and - thank god for this - Liam has a crush on you," Zayn says, not looking at Louis, still with a dirty smirk on his smile, "And he uses every excuse he gets to come down and see you."

"Damn it, Zayn, shut up," Louis says blushing just a bit. Not that he fancies Liam. But it's always embarrassing because sure, Liam is always doing whatever it takes to see Louis.

"Anyway, the only thing we had to do, is fold the new shirts that came yesterday and for what I can see," Zayn says, turning to catch a quick glimpse of Louis, "You have finished."

"Because I have been working all day!" Louis says exasperated.

"But Loueh!" Zayn says, now putting the magazine down and pouting to his friend, "You have to understand! I just bought the magazine from the store and it's new, see?" Zayn says showing off the magazine, "And there's a new article about the gossips that were flying around about Cara Delevingne and Ha—,"

"Seriously Zayn, I don't care about your precious models and clothes," Louis says just a bit angry.

"I'm sorry, okay? You know how much I love this. You know I crave for this kind of life," Zayn says, spitting his heart out, "I'm sorry mate, I'll do it myself next time, promise."

"You better do it, idiot," Louis says finally, turning to smile at him.

"I'll do it, babe," Zayn says winking, "But now, let me finish reading the article."

Louis nods smiling, looking fondly at his best friend, observing all his features and details. See, since they were youngsters, let's say, about eight years ago, Zayn has always wanted to become a professional model, because well, the bastard knows he's perfectly built and he has the face of an angel. Also the fact that he likes to dress well, not only to impress, but because it makes him feel better. He likes designer clothes and matching outfits, he is always watching all those runways and tv programs that are alike. So yeah, blame Zayn, but he knows the real reason why God has sent him to this planet. He's only waiting for a few cash to come and in the first opportunity, he's off to New York. Or Paris. Or London. 

So yeah, for Zayn, it's has always been into modelling. But for Louis... well, he hasn't thought about it. He doesn't know what to do with his life. He was supposed to go to college last year, but the fear of leaving his mother, was greater than the excitement of going away so, yeah, he stayed. And well, since Zayn was going to stay for a while, college was immediately off the table.

And really, Jay, Louis' mother, didn't mind. Because well, for starters, she didn't want to be alone. And if she moved with him to another city, well, she really doesn't know what to do in order to have incomes. The antique shop, is all they have. That little shop in down-town, is all they have for their expenses. And it's been good, thank God. Business has been always good, even though antique shops are not really a good business, somehow, for Jay, it's been. Maybe it's because of the tourism in this city. Maybe because it's literally, in the centre of down-town. Or maybe because Jay and Louis are somehow charismatic and easygoing. Anyway, apart from that little shop and Louis' pay-checks, that's all they have.

"Zayn, do you ever wonder, if there's more to this? Like really, you see yourself somewhere else?" Louis asks after a few minutes of silence because well, Zayn was reading the magazine and Louis was lost on his thoughts.

"Umm, yeah I guess," Zayn says, biting his finger, still reading the magazine, "I mean, I really want to escape this city."

"Of course," Louis says, not really happy for him, but rather a bit jealous because clearly, he knows what he wants.

Just then, Louis checks his phone to see if he has any new e-mails from Harry. But no, there's none.

"Why are you always waiting for e-mails?" Zayn asks, still looking at the magazine.

"What are you talking about?" Louis answers shocked, trying to play it cool.

"You know, you are always waiting for e-mails."

"How do you know it's e-mails, instead of texts or whatsapps?"

"Because to those, you don't answer. Never. Seriously, people has to call you in order to know you're not dead. But to _those_ e-mails, well..." Zayn says, not continuing his reply, but just, leaving it there, hanging somewhere in the air, between the two of them.

And Louis decides not to reply. Just as Zayn decides to ignore. And they both decides topic is over. Because that's just how they are. They understand each other, and know their boundaries and yeah, it's simple.

It's nearly midday, after a few clients and other kind of talks, when finally, Liam arrives.

"I'm here," Liam says out loud, before coming near the counter where Louis and Zayn are, "Hi, there," he says to Zayn, but Zayn only mumbles something as a _Hi_ , because well, the magazine, and then "Hi, Louis," Liam says, more sweet this time, but trying to sound manly and formal.

"HI Liam," Louis greets him, trying not to blush because Liam is staring and he doesn't have much to do now, so yeah, there's no way to avoid Liam.

"How—how are you?" Liam says, a bit nervous.

"Good thanks, business has been good, I mean we had sells this morning, still it's only past noon so I guess, good," Louis says, trying to avoid Liam's look.

"Well, that's perfect!" Liam says a bit excited.

"Yeah you know, and only one more hour, and my shift is over so," Louis says, trying not to sound rude. And yes, because it's summer vacations, Louis has morning shifts and Niall has evening shifts. And since they sometimes need help, Zayn is in between those shifts, so he can help both Louis and Niall.

"Yeah I know your shift is going to be over, that's why I came," Liam says and Louis can almost hear Zayn's thoughts _I told you so_ , and yeah, when Louis turns to see Zayn, the bastard is smirking.

Louis only shakes his head subtly, because damn, Zayn is always making fun of poor Louis.

And after that, it's quiet. And a bit awkward. Because Louis doesn't want to answer and Liam doesn't know what else to say and Zayn is enjoying the awkwardness.

"Anyway," Liam says after a while, "It's been hot today right? Really warm, kind of good actually."

And yeah, poor guy. Talking about the weather. But since they work in a surfer/skater shop it's only right to mention it.

"Yeah, I think that's why we had sells, you know? There's a lot of the people in the beach and, you know, also the fact that we are exactly in front of it helps," Louis says.

"Also maybe, because we are handsome and they come and flirt with us and we may or not may flirt back and they have to buy things," Zayn says, finally leaving the magazine in the counter, getting in the conversation.

At the reply, Liam only looks at them, not even sure what to say, kind of surprised actually, because well, Zayn said it in a really serious voice and it's Zayn until—

"Jeez, it's a joke, calm down," Zayn says laughing, "They only flirt with me, but I don't flirt back."

And yeah, after that Liam relaxes. And Louis is damned.

"So Louis," Liam says, not wanting to gain another sarcastic reply from Zayn, "Are you doing anything after your shift?"

"Going to his mum's shop, just as always," yeah, Zayn is answering anyway. Louis sighs at that.

"What Zayn means is, that yeah, I have to go to my mum's and help out," Louis says with an apologetic smile.

"Well, maybe I can drive you there?" Liam says, glimpse of hopes in his eyes.

"Uh, I got my penny board, thanks," Louis says, trying to sound nice.

And yeah, Liam can see it now, behind the counter, in a corner, the familiar black penny board with new blue wheels.

"You got new wheels?" Liam asks, trying to make conversation, seeing as his offer has been rejected, again.

"Yeah, got them just a couple of days ago," Louis says proud of them.

Only because his penny board is the most beloved thing he has. And well, ever since Harry told him his favourite colour was blue, blue has turned out to be Louis' new favourite colour.

And well, even though he doesn't know what kind of blue, because apparently, _It depends on the light and mood_ , Louis choose a baby blue ones, which match perfectly with the black matte of the board.

"What happened to the red ones? I thought you liked red?" Liam says confused.

"Oh yeah, but you know, it's nice to change sometimes," Louis says, thanking the fact that his mother is not here.

"I guess," Liam says not sure.

"Anyway," Zayn interrupts, standing from his spot, "I'm hungry so I'll go to the taco truck in front for some food, you want some, Loueh?"

"No thanks, I'll eat in my way to mum's."

"What about you Liam?" Zayn asks, for the sake of being polite.

"No," Liam says, confused of what the day turned out to be, somehow, kind of heartbroken, "I'm actually going now, I'll let my dad know that everything is running smoothly here."

"'Kay then," Zayn says, shrugging his shoulders, "I'll be back in a few minutes." And with that, he's gone.

"Okay, I guess, I'll see you around then?" Liam asks, still a bit of hope in his eyes.

"Of course," Louis says smiling politely.

"Okay then," and that gives Liam a good hunch. For now. He says goodbye and leaves the shop as well, leaving Louis alone.

Finally, Louis is alone. That gives him time to check his phone for new e-mails.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:23 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: BANANAS.

I'm bored. I'm tired of sleeping. Tell me something.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:38 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: BANANAS.

Something.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:39 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: BANANAS.

If you continue with your sarcasm, I will continue with my knock-knock jokes.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:41 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: BANANAS.

I'M KIDDING! Just kidding, please no more knock-knock jokes. What's with the subject anyway?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:42 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: All by myself.

Heyy, my jokes aren't that bad, are they? And the subject, well, I'm telling you. I'm bored. Gemma is in Paris. I'm all alone.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:43 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: All by myself.

You are bored? And alone? Have you... taken care of yourself then?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:44 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: All by myself.

What are you talking about? Myself? I'm not sick.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:45 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: All by myself.

No, idiot. Like... did you already free all the... tension?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:46 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: All by myself.

Tension? What are you talking about, I'm okay.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:47 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Dumb dumb dumb.  

For fuck sakes, you're unbelievable. Forget about it.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:48 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: I'm not!

No! Tell me. I don't get it.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:49 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Yes you are.   

No, just forget it. Anyway, what's Gemma doing in Paris? That's so awesome! I've never been to Paris.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:51 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Not forgetting about it.

She's with some friends. Just vacations.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:52 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: You're impossible.

Why didn't you go with her?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:53 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Yes I am.

Because, well I didn't want to.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:54 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: You're annoying.  

And now you are bored.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:55 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: You still love me.

It's because I miss her.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:56 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Maybe just a little.

Why don't you go on vacations too? Maybe tag along with her? Or go to another place?

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:57 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Okie then.  

Uhmm, but she wants time for herself. With her friends. And besides, where should I go if I go myself?

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:58 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then.  

You should come and visit me!

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:59 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then.  

You are absolutely right! I should go and visit you. Like, finally meet you.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 1:02 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then.  

I was just kidding.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 1:03 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then.  

But I'm not. I'm not kidding.

————————————-

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 1:04 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then.  

Harry, I was just kidding. You don't have to come.

————————————-

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 1:05 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then.  

But I want to. And I will.

————————————-

"What's the matter?" Zayn finally speaks up, right beside from Louis, taco in hand.

"When did you arrive?" Louis asks, surprised to not have noticed Zayn before.

"I've been here for about," Zayn stops, taking a look at his watch, "About thirteen minutes."

"Jesus Christ, you've been watching this entire time?" Louis says, locking his phone, not able to reply Harry.

"Well, I did call you when I entered the shop, but you were typing something into your phone and then, when I sat beside you, you didn't even noticed, so yeah, there was nothing much to do aside from watching you."

"You are so creepy sometimes, I swear," Louis says, his phone still in hand, a bit nervous.

Zayn shrugs his shoulders before asking again, "So what's the matter?"

"Huh?" Louis answers, still nervous, gathering all his things.

"You were all smiley and calm but all of the sudden, your expression changed," Zayn says mindlessly, finishing his guacamole taco.

"Uhmm—nothing just, few bills and stuff," Louis says, trying to avoid the topic.

"Bills? Stuff? You need money? I can give some to—,"

"No, it's okay—don't worry, it's nothing," Louis says, backpack in both shoulders, phone in his pocket and penny board in his hands, "I better be going, mum is waiting."

"Okie then," Zayn answers, just nodding.

"What?"

"What, what?"

"Nothing just—God I need air," Louis says, walking to the door of the shop, "I'll see you tomorrow then, okay?"

"Yeap," Zayn says, glaring the boy.

And just like that, Louis is gone. 

 


	6. surprises all around us: fangirling and moral breakdowns.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:58 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then. 

You should come and visit me!

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:59 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then. 

You are absolutely right! I should go and visit you. Like, finally meet you.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 1:02 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then. 

I was just kidding.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 1:03 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then. 

But I’m not. I’m not kidding.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 1:04 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then. 

Harry, I was just kidding. You don’t have to come.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 1:05 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then. 

But I want to. And I will.

\-------------------------

Harry is already up, walking around the room, phone in hand, waiting for a reply. Biting the nails of the other hand, Harry looks around the living room, not sure as to why. Maybe he expects Gemma to jump out of nowhere but—she’s in Paris. She’s in Paris. So he can do this. He can actually go and visit Louis.

He stops himself in the middle of the living room and let the phone down in the little center table. He is doing this. He’s going to Cardiff.

And when realization hits him in the gut, he starts smiling, pacing quickly to his room, to pack his things, because he’s doing this.

He has some money—okay, a lot of money—so he should be fine for some days. He doesn’t have any interviews or runways for the next days and he is sure Gemma won’t even noticed he’s not in London. So he doesn’t bother on telling her. Maybe because if she tells her, she is going to stop him. So yeah, Harry decides to keep it a secret. It will be like an escape, a secret escape from his reality.

He takes a bag and suitcase from his closet, the ones he always uses, and he starts putting—throwing—clothes and stuff into the bed. God, he’s so excited, he’s actually going to burst.

A pair of black skinny jeans, the same he always uses, some normal skinny jeans and his pjs. Several white and black basic tees and a lot of his luxury shirts—Burberry, YSL, Calvin Klein, American Apparel—and just oldie ones. In total, four jeans and fifteen tees/shirts. God, he is excited. He takes his usual YSL black coat and two sweaters, the baggy ones he always uses. His usual boats and just in case, a pair of Nike sneakers.

Some personal stuff from the bath too, cologne and shampoos—he feels his fingers tickling—a few more things, moisturizer, toothpaste and well, all of that stuff.

Once everything is in order, he takes the bag and the suitcase to the living room and takes his phone. He’s still doubtful about telling Gemma or not. But he’s definitely sure that if he calls Gemma now, she is going to try to stop her because well, for starters, Gemma is going to ask why is Harry going there and Harry knows well he can’t lie to his sister, so everything will be doomed.

So... clothes, personal stuff, money, his wallet, passport—does he needs a passport to go to Wales? He’s not sure, whatevs—his bag, where he is carrying his camera, phone charger, a couple of books, and other random things he’s always carrying around.

He takes everything, before getting out of the apartment, and he makes sure to close the door with the key. He stands still outside, just beside the door, still shocked about the fact that he’s going to Cardiff.

Once he can manage to takes his things downstairs, he steps out of the building, with a silly smile on his face, not even noticing how some people walking down the street recognizes him.

Somehow, he manages to find a cab soon, just a couple of photos with the fans and a few autographs later.

“To Heathrow Airport, please,” he says, still with the goofy smile on his face, waving the fans outside a goodbye. 

The taxi driver nods, leaving then heading to Heathrow.

And surprise, surprise—apparently someone heard he was going to Heathrow, because there’s a few paps waiting for him and at least fifteen fans waiting for him. Still, he’s too happy to care.

He gets out of the cab, saying hi to everybody, grabbing his things and paying the taxi driver.

“Harry! Harry! We love you, Harry,” a few fans yelled at him, trying to come closer to him, but somehow, a few guards see him arrived and now are there to help.

“Where are you going, Mr. Styles?” some other paps are asking, taking photos with their annoying flash and getting in the way with their big cameras.

Harry doesn’t care. He even stops to sign a few things and take photos with the fans, not paying attention to the guards that came there to help him.

And when he’s able to get inside finally, he gets near the first counter he sees.

“A ticket to Cardiff, Wales, please,” he says with his stupid goofy smile, “Doesn’t matter if it’s economic class, or the most expensive one.”

And when the boy looks up to see him, he totally recognizes him, “Harry Styles? Is it really you?” the boys asks smiling.

“Uhhh—yeah, it is me,” he says embarrassed. Sometimes Harry forgets the impression he can get from people.

“Wow, this is amazing! And I didn’t want to come to work today, imagine!” the boy says, typing some things in his computer still smiling.

Harry nods smiling, slowly blushing because more people beside and behind him are starting to recognize him—it may or not be fault of the loud boy behind the counter.

“Well, Harry—Mr. Styles,” the boy says looking up, “The next flight to Cardiff is in about an hour, so would you like to wait for that flight?”

“Of course, yeah whatever,” Harry says, a bit nervous and anxious. He takes out his credit card and puts it in the counter.  

“Okay then, a ticket to Cardiff it is,” the boy says, already feeling comfortable talking with Harry, “May I ask, why are you going there? Is it a runway or a new project?”

“Uh—no, just visiting someone close,” Harry says, trying not to give too much details.

“Oh cool,” the boys says, printing the ticket and taking Harry’s credit card, “Well, here it is, one ticket to Cardiff and your credit card. You can wait on the seats over there,” the boy says pointing to the common area, where there’s a lot of seats and there’s people of all kinds waiting, “Or, you can rent a private lounge, if you don’t feel like waiting with all these people.”

“Oh no, the common area is fine, thanks,” Harry says taking the ticket and his credit card. He’s about to leave when,

“Umm—excuse me, Harry,” the boy says a bit shy, “Can I take a photo with you?”

Of course. Harry knew something was missing. “Of course.”

\-------------------------

[FEW HOURS LATER]

“I CAN’T BELIEVE HARRY STYLES IS COMING TO CARDIFF,” Zayn shouts from the back of the shop.

“Zayn, there’s some costumers here,” Niall says, awkwardly grinning to them.

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU PIECE OF—,”

“ZAYN!” Niall shouts, going to the back of the shop to where Zayn is, “Shut the fuck up, mate! There’s customers and you are yelling like a little girl!”

“I AM A LITTLE FANGIRL,” Zayn says in a loud voice, fake-sobbing, lying in the floor, between a few boxes, “God damn it Niall, Harry is coming to Cardiff!”

“What the hell are you talking about, who is this Henry?”

“Harry! You stupid piece of shit,” Zayn says, getting up from the floor, “And he is only the most handsome sexy model there could ever been in this era!”

“How do you even know this? Are you stalking people again?” Niall says, returning to the shop.

“Of course not, you idiot,” Zayn says walking beside him, “I don’t stalk them, I just find stuff using the trending topics,” Zayn says showing his phone with the twitter app opened.

“Same shit,” Niall says, seeing the customers were now gone.

“Anyway, thing is, someone spotted Harry out of his apartment with some bags and then, few more people spotted him in Heathrow Airport,” Zayn says, excitement showing in his voice, showing a photo of Harry, apparently taken by some fan.

“And how do you know he’s coming down here?” Niall says, still doubtful.

“Because then, a guy that works for Tim Cook Airline, said Harry bought the ticket from him, he even took a photo with him, see?” Zayn says, again showing his phone.

“What I see now, is why Louis is always complaining when you’re reading magazines,” Niall says, rolling his eyes. 

“Whatever, you twats don’t know about real fashion,” Zayn says, resigned.

“Well, lucky for me, your shift is almost over,” Niall says looking at the clock. And he’s right, it’s almost four.

“Thank god, I’m taking off,” Zayn says grabbing his things.

“I told you it’s almost over, not that it’s over,” Niall says crossing his arms.

“Whatevs dude, you can handle yourself just good,” Zayn says, almost outside the shop, grabbing his bike,  “See ya tomorrow!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Niall says, sitting behind the counter, the shop now empty.

\-------------------------

“Loueh!!” Zayn shouts, a few strangers staring at him, even if the antique shop it’s still a block away.

“Oh god, please don’t,” and nevertheless, Louis is still able to hear him.

“Loueh!” Zayn keeps shouting even if he’s just outside the shop, leaving the bike, “LOUEH!!!”

“Oh for fuck sakes!” Louis shouts back and thanks god his mom is not there right now.

“GUESS WHAT YOU LOSER!”

“Zayn, I’m tired, go away,” Louis says not looking at Zayn.

“But you’re supposed to be my best mate,” Zayn says pouting, “You have to listen to everything I say!”

“Oh god damn it,” Louis swears under his breath, “Okay, what is it now?”

Zayn smiles sheepishly and then smirks, because Louis always gives up if it’s Zayn.

“Okay, remember the model I told you about this morning? The fit lad I was talkin—,”

“Yeah, yeah,” Louis says, not interested, “What happened? Is he dead?”

“GOD, NO! SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!” Zayn shouts again, all exasperated.

Louis laughs at that, because he just loves to play with Zayn’s nerves, “Okay then?”

“HE’S COMING TO CARDIFF! HE’S COMING HERE! I SWEAR TO GOD, I’M GOING TO THE AIRPORT TO SEE HIS ARRIVAL AND THEN MAYBE I CAN TAKE HIM TO MY PLACE AND—,”

“And then you will be arrested for stalking and sexual harassment,” Louis says, still trying to make Zayn angry.

“I love him but not that much! I was going to say, take him to my place and let him sleep there, then in the morning I can make pancakes to him and we will talk and he will slowly fall for me and we will start dating and—,”

“Just please, shut up,” Louis says with disgusting face, “You’re going to make me throw up.”

“You’re just jealous,” Zayn says.

“No, I’m being realistic,” Louis says, “That kind of people never pay attention to kids like us.”

“Well, I’m going to prove you wrong,” Zayn says.

“Zayn,” Louis says worried, “I don’t want you to be hurt because of that dude.”

“I won’t,” Zayn says now smiling, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

Louis sighs, before speaking again, “So what are you going to do?”

“Well, I’m thinking that maybe it’s a little bit stalker to be in the airport waiting for him,” Zayn says and Louis nods, because yeah, it’s what they have always wanted to tell Zayn, “So maybe I’m going to wait until tomorrow, for him to know the city and let him explore, and then I might casually bump into him and we will just talk.”

“What is this, an 80’s movie?” Louis says almost chuckling.  

“I’m making an effort here,” Zayn says whining.

“Okay, okay,” Louis says laughing, “I’m sorry, you’re right, you can do whatever you want,” he says finally, trying to show the support to his friend.

“Thanks,” Zayn says smiling, “Anyway, I was just passing by to tell you the news, so I better go now, mum s’ waiting for me,” Zayn says, walking to the door of the shop.

“Okay then,” Louis says with a fond smile, “Say hi to Trisha for me!”

“Same for Jay!” Zayn shouts, riding away on his bike.

\-------------------------

After five long hours, three moral breakdowns to call Gemma, one glass of whisky on the rocks and three photos with fans, finally, Harry is in Cardiff.

Or in the airport. Whatever, he’s closer to Louis now. Thing is, it’s nearly nine and it’s dark and Harry doesn’t even know where to start looking for Louis.

Maybe he should wait till tomorrow. Because, let’s be honest, he doesn’t even have a place to stay the night. And he hasn’t eaten since the morning, when he was e-mailing with Louis.

He looks around, to all the people, and apparently since it’s late, there’s not a lot young people, it’s more old people, so it’s harder if they recognize him.

He sees that in a corner, there’s a place called  _Caffi Cwtch,_ it’s like a little restaurant inside the airport, and there’s several people there, so he decides to take a bite there.

He settles in a little table, putting his bags on the side, waiting for someone to take the order. He notices there’s a little menu on the table, so maybe someone will take his order soon. He takes his phone out then, and he sees there’s an e-mail and a text. He goes for the text first.

_Gems: Hi little bro! How are you? Miss you! xx._

He decides to reply immediately, because she sent that two hours ago, and Harry doesn’t want Gemma to suspect something is... off.

_hi gems! nothing new, was just hanging out with some friends. everything is cool. miss you too!! xx_

That should be enough. Now he opens the e-mail, but just then, the waiter arrives.

“Are you ready to order?” it’s a lady, not too old, but he’s certain she doesn’t recognize him.

Harry takes the little menu and he orders the first thing that gets his attention, “Can I get the chicken wings with BBQ sauce and garlic mayo?”

“Anything to drink?” the lady says, writing down the order.

“Just simple water, please,” Harry says, taking into consideration all the calories his food could have.

“Okay then, it will be here in a sec,” the lady says before leaving.

Harry sighs and goes back to the phone, opening the e-mail.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 3:23 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Joke?

I hope you were joking.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 9:12 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Nope.

What’s so bad about going there to meet you?

\-------------------------

Harry doesn’t want to tell Louis he’s already there. He wants it to be a surprise. And he prays to god Louis doesn’t know who he is. Because what if Louis already knows it’s him? The famous Harry Styles. It would ruin everything. That’s why Harry started talking with him in the first place. Louis didn’t know it was him, so it was simple to communicate.

Sure, it’s a bad thing, because they have never seen each other faces. Louis could be a kidnapper or a creepy old guy, like they have joked. But he’s taking his chances. And it’s not like Harry was curious, of course he was. He tried searching for Louis on facebook and twitter. But all he had was his e-mail and his first name. And well, nothing came out. Guess he must have everything in private. Or he doesn’t have a facebook profile and twitter account. But who doesn’t have one these days?

Anyway, it was kind of fun. Not knowing for sure or be uncertain of how things are going to come out.

His phone is now buzzing and yeap, another e-mail.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 9:14 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Kind of scared but not really.

Nothing it’s just… I’m kind of scared. But like, not really, you know? I guess it’s just excitement and rush. Because I don’t know you and you don’t know me and well, I don’t know about you, but this would be the first time.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 9:17 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Don’t be, I’ll be there for you

Well, don’t worry. I’ll be there for you.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 9:14 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: That’s good

Thanks. I’m sure it will be cool to plan our meeting. Maybe we can do it in a few months!

\-------------------------

Months? Harry is already here. In Cardiff. Waiting his chicken wings. He was planning on doing it tomorrow.

Well, guess the surprise is going to be even bigger.

He doesn’t reply, scared that he might expose his plans—or that he’s already here—so he decides to wait until tomorrow and see what the new day might bring to both of them.


	7. oops & hi.

[NEXT DAY]

It’s 7:02AM and Louis is still sitting in his bed. He should be getting ready, eating breakfast, skating to his work in front the beach. But he can’t move out of his bed.

Harry didn’t reply yesterday and Louis isn’t sure why. You see, it’s been a tradition to always stay late talking with each other, e-mailing dumb stuff and repeating ‘ _Goodnight’_ to each other so many times, that it’s not night anymore.

What if Harry got mad because Louis didn’t sound sure enough to meet? Because Harry has been the persistent one to meet, but Louis always says no. And this joke, the thing that Louis said, maybe it was the limit for Harry.

Louis is staring at his phone, new draft open in his gmail app, trying to form an e-mail to make conversation with Harry.

Maybe a simple hello will be fine. Yeah, a hello. Louis is going to try with a hello.

“Louis dear, are you awake?” Jay says opening the door just a bit, sneaking her head to see Louis, “I heard your alarm but I didn’t hear you get in the shower, as always,” Jay says now entering the room, “Is there something wrong? You feel sick, honey?”

“No mom, I’m fine,” Louis says making room in the bed for her, at the same time, hiding his phone.

“Are you sure honey?” she says sitting beside Louis in bed.

“Yeah, I was just not completely awake,” Louis lies, “I slept until late last night, so I’m still kind of sleepy.”

“Okay well, why don’t you get ready and I’ll make breakfast, okay?” Jay says, kissing his forehead before getting up and leaving the room.

Louis takes his phone out from under the pillow and unlocks it.

Just a simple hello. And it doesn’t matter if it’s too early, Harry will see it whenever he gets up.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:11AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Hi

Hi. Good morning :)

\-------------------------

That should be good, right? A casual greeting. Louis sighs and leaves his phone on top of his bed, walking to the closet to gather his uniform. Just normal blue jeans—or skinny ones, because Louis likes them a lot—and his tee from work. It’s a polo one, black with the logo of the surf/skate shop and his name sewed at the front.

He takes a light black hoodie, in case it rains—but like, its mid-summer so it probably won’t, but who knows because Cardiff is always unpredictable—and he puts it in his Vans backpack, the same one he uses for everything.

He walks downstairs, the smell of fried eggs and bacon in the air, making Louis’ tummy growls.

“It smells delicious mom, thanks,” Louis says taking a plate from the shelf.

“You’re welcome honey,” Jay says, taking her cuppa and sipping from it.

Louis serves himself, then seats on the table.

“So how’s work? Everything good down there?” Jay asks, watching his son eat.

“Yeah, everything good,” Louis says with his mouth full, “Business s’ been good, with all the tourists,” Louis says swallowing the food.

“Yeah, I can imagine,” Jay says nodding, “I was thinking maybe it should be a good thing to change our antique shop to Mermaid Quay, I mean, it’s right there in the bay and it should attract more people—,”

“No way mom, no,” Louis says, still eating, “The shop is good where it is, I think St. David’s it’s good and the rent is fair, so don’t think about that,” Louis says sipping from his juice, “Besides, everybody knows the shop is there, like, literally everybody.”

“Maybe because there’s no other antique shop,” Jay says.

“Still, everybody knows,” Louis says winking.

Louis looks the clock in the wall and swallows the food. 7:23AM.

“Thanks mom,” Louis says standing up, “I better go and wash my teeth,” he says smiling, just before he’s gone.

See, Jay knows something is up. Louis has been weird lately but she can’t just ask. Louis and she have always been so loyal and honest between each other, that part of Jay is waiting for Louis to say something.

But since Louis has changed so much lately, the other part of Jay is telling her to sneak around a bit and discover what is going on. Because she has a weird feeling, like a hunch, that something is about to happen.

\-------------------------

Louis arrives to the store just a few minutes before eight. It’s simple really, his tasks through the morning. It’s just the general cleaning of the store and the make sure everything is alright. Liam’s dad never bothers to come because he knows the boys arrange themselves just fine. Still, Liam manages to come every day to see Louis.

He leaves his stuff in the back of the shop, just where the bathrooms and the storage are. He turns the lights on and decides to open the shop. He turns on the cash register and everything is ready.

He takes out his phone and—there’s already an e-mail.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:48AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Oops

Good morning! I fell asleep last night and couldn’t message back.

\-------------------------

See? Harry simply fell asleep. Louis shouldn’t worry that much. He’s always being paranoid when it comes to Harry.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:59AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Don’t worry

It’s okay, I also slept early last night.

\-------------------------

False, Louis couldn’t sleep last night. It’s not the same going to sleep without Harry’s e-mails.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:01AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Okie then

It’s so early and you are already working?

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:02AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Yeap. Morning shift. It’s okay though, the shop is empty and I just have to clean some shelves. There’s not many customers in the morning until around 11 maybe.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:04AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Oh that’s cool. You can do whatever you want then.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:06AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Lol, yeah sort of. But what about you? So early and you’re already awake? That’s new H.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:07AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Heyy. I can be up early if I want to. Sure, it’s not every day, but when I’m excited, sure I can get up even before the sun.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:09AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Well, I simply said it was new. Never saw you awake this early. And what is it that gets you excited?

\-------------------------

 _You_. Harry wanted to reply immediately.  _It’s you and the thought of meeting you_.

Harry is sure he’s damned. If the lack of sleep wasn’t enough, the unstoppable thoughts of meeting Louis are now enough. Harry wasn’t able to sleep last night, because every time he closed his eyes, he could see his self walking through the streets of Cardiff—the small bits he could see last night in the way to the hotel—going to where Louis works. He could arrive to the place and well, the thought stop there. Because he can’t picture Louis. He doesn’t have any clue.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:11AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Nothing. Just the thought of what the day could have prepared for me.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:12AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Damn it Harry, I told you to not smoke weed. It makes you a really shitty poet. 

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:13AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

I’m not smoking weed, you silly. It’s too early for that.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:14AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

I know, that’s why I’m telling you not to do it.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:15AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Whatever. How’s work? Doing something productive? You never tell me anything about your work. Where do you work exactly?

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:17AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Nope, you’re distracting me. (just kidding) Mmm, it’s calm. Quiet. It always is. Well, I work in a surf/skate shop. It’s really basic, just for the tourists who come down to the Bay.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:19AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Really? That sounds nice. What’s the name?

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:21AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Forelsket. The boss chose it. I don’t know what it means really, but he says it’s something cool. Maybe it’s something hippie people use or slang that surfers use.

\-------------------------

Harry opens Google Maps app on his phone and types down  _Forelsket._

_It’s just in front of him. Passing the Landsea Gardens. Just across the bay._

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:23AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Well, name is weird but I’m sure it attracts a lot of people. It sounds… interesting.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:24AM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Okie then

Yeah whatever. I have to go, I haven’t done anything and there’s new merchandise I have to take out. Talk to you later H. xx

\-------------------------

Well, that’s good because Harry has a lot to do too before he goes to meet Louis.

He showers, gets dress before finally going down to the restaurant to have some breakfast. Only a couple of teens recognize him there, and it’s good. He doesn’t really care and let them take pictures and such. But beside that, it’s all quiet. Harry is staying at the St. David’s Hotel and Spa, so there’s mostly grown-ups that are more likely to not recognize him.

And when it hits 11 o’clock, he’s already walking through the lobby of the hotel, decided that, when he comes back to the hotel, he can finally happily dream about Louis.

\-------------------------

“Zayn, where were you?” Louis says when Zayn is barely entering the shop.

“Calm down, I’m only five minutes late,” Zayn says looking at his watch. 11:05AM.

“I—okay yeah, whatevs,” Louis sighs calming himself, “Just help me out before I go.”

“What? You’re leaving early?” Zayn asks shocked.

“Yeah, mom needs help in the shop because she has some stuff to do,” Louis says, unpacking some more new merchandise.

“You told the boss?” Zayn asks, sitting in the ground along with Louis to unpack.

“Yeah—I mean, not Liam—only his dad,” Louis says, trying to avoid Zayn’s look, “I called him earlier and he said it was fine.”

“You scared about Liam popping early just to catch a glimpse of yourself?” Zayn says grinning.

“Shut up,” Louis says, rolling his eyes.

“Anyway,” Zayn says, “Just let me go and buy my tacos before you leave,” Zayn says standing up, “I don’t want to leave the store alone once you’re gone.”

“Okay then, but don’t take long, I have to go in like, twenty minutes,” Louis says, standing up too, with a couple of new shirts.

“Chillax,” Zayn says, “Want anything?”

“No thanks,” Louis says, just as always.

And after ten minutes, Zayn is back with two tacos in hand and a satisfied smile.

“Well, that was quick,” Louis says.

“Yeah, there wasn’t any line to wait, so it was quick,” Zayn before, before taking a bite of his guacamole taco.

“Hey Zayn, do you think—god damn it, Zayn!” Louis says looking at him, “Look at your uniform, you idiot!”

“What are you—oh shit,” Zayn says before noticing some salsa in his shirt. He tries to clean it up, but it’s only worse, making the salsa spread more. “Loueh,” Zayn says almost whinning, “Help me out!”

“You know what?” Louis says, taking his uniform off, “Take my shirt, I will be gone soon,” Louis says handing the shirt to Zayn, before making sure he leaves his tacos on the counter.

“You sure? What are you going to wear? Are you going to skate through the city with your bare chest?”

“Of course not, you idiot,” Louis says immediately covering his chest, “I’m going to take one of the new shirts of the storage, and I’ll return it tomorrow.”

“Wow, what a rebel,” Zayn says with a subtle hint of sarcasm.

“Shut up, I’m only trying to help you,” Louis says before going to the back of the shop.

Zayn takes the shirt, after finishing the tacos, because he doesn’t want to make the same mistake again, and he puts it on. Fits just right and it smells like Louis, but—

“It says your name on it!” Zayn shouts, before looking up and seeing Louis in a white baseball tee with black sleeves.

“Doesn’t matter, you need the uniform while working,” Louis says, looking himself in the mirror. He looks good. Maybe he will buy some of these. Of course, he will take advantage of the discount for working there.

“My name feels disrespected,” Zayn says while looking himself in the mirror too.

Louis rolls his eyes before looking himself in the mirror again. He fixes his fringe and looks at the clock in the wall.

“Anyway, I better go, mom is waiting for me,” Louis says, going to the back of the shop for his things, “If something comes up, call me, okay?” Louis says, putting his backpack on his shoulders, his skate on one hand.

“Sure, sure,” Zayn says, sitting on the floor again, “Thanks mate.”

Louis nods and waves goodbye, before finally getting out of the store.

There’s a lot of people for being Tuesday and just before noon, but Louis shrugs it off and it’s about to ride his skateboard, when—

“Oops,” Louis hears someone say before he hits the ground.

He looks up to see the—idiot—person who knocked him down and when he finally is able to see him—well, he’s speechless.

“Hi,” Louis says, still on the ground, skateboard beside him.

“M’ sorry, didn’t see you there,” the guy says, offering a hand to help Louis out.

“It’s okay, I’m fine,” Louis says taking his hand and standing up. Louis can’t remember, but he is sure he has seen that guy before. He doesn’t know where exactly, but he’s sure. Or maybe he hit his head really hard; doesn’t hurt, so he thinks it’s just good.

“You sure?” the guys says, showing true concern about him. And if Louis wasn’t in a hurry, he could definitely lie just to spend a few more seconds with this handsome stranger.

“Yes, thank you,” Louis says smiling, trying to be polite. He takes his skate from the ground and in no time, he’s gone.

“Wow,” Harry says to himself. That kid was weird. Hot, but somehow weird. He shrugs and keeps walking, looking at the directions Google Maps has traced down to Forelsket.

Once he is outside, he somehow manages to freeze. There’s no one insight from outside, so Harry really needs to go inside and wait for Louis to appear. He hopes he will appear.

He steps inside the shop, after a few minutes of fighting with his conscious and he finally, sees someone behind a shelf, sitting on the floor with a few boxes opened and stuff around. The boy is dark haired, like really black, with olive skin, maybe a bit darker, and he can see a few tats on his arms.

Harry coughs just a bit before speaking, “Uhmm—excuse me, hello—,”

“Wha—,” the boy stands from the floor immediately, not able to finish his sentence, all blushed and nervous, “Hi,” he says, trying to sound calm but he’s playing with the end of his shirt and he can’t stop staring at Harry.

“I’m—,”

“I know who you are,” the boy says, smiling, “I knew we would meet, I knew this would happen,” the boy says, excitement all over his face.

Harry is not sure at first but then he sees the name on the shirt. Louis. This feels somehow like destiny to Harry.

Harry lets himself, finally, smile at that, because here he is, Louis, finally in front of him. He feels like hugging him but he wants to contain himself.

“You knew I would come?” Harry asks, more comfortable.

“Not here—obviously not to the shop—but I knew this would happen.”

“Really? I wanted it to be a surprise,” Harry says chuckling. And it looks like Louis couldn’t be more red and happy, but he does.

Just then, someone else arrives.

“Hello—,”

“God damn it Liam, you are always interrupting!”

Harry turns to look at the boy—Liam—standing just a few feet beside him. It’s a fit, nice looking lad, but somehow, looking really serious. Not Harry’s type, he thinks to himself.

“Jeez, chill mate,” Liam says before looking at Harry, “Who’s this?”

“I’m—,”

“He is Harry Styles, and you are annoying.”

“Damn it Zayn, would you just relax for a second?”

_Zayn? Did he just said Zayn?_

“Where is Louis?” Liam asks walking to the counter.

“He had to go, he had some stuff with his mom, actually he just left, like a couple of minutes ago.”

“Wait, you are not Louis?” Harry says, looking at the boy—now, Zayn.

“Oh, no,” Zayn says, looking at the shirt, “He lent it to me.”

“Why I wasn’t informed of it?” Liam asks from behind the counter, taking a quick look at the back store.

“Because you’re not the actual boss Liam, it’s your dad,” Zayn shouts, obviously done with him.

Liam returns and he looks just as done with Zayn as Zayn looks. 

“Wait,” Harry speaks up, making both boys look at him, “So you are not Louis,” he says pointing at Zayn, “And you are not the boss,” he says now to Liam,  “And I’m just—,”

“Harry, you are Harry Styles,” Zayn says with a smile on his face.

“Who the hell is Harry Styles?” Liam asks, a bit annoyed.

“It’s only the most handsome and perfect model out there, Liam,” Zayn says shaking his head.

And now Harry gets it. He gets all the stuff that is happening.

“Can someone please tell me where can I find Louis?” Harry says, a bit shy.

“Louis?!” both Zayn and Liam asks at the same time, shocked.

“Yeah,” Harry says slowly.

“What do you want Louis for?” Liam asks.

“Stop being so rude Liam,” Zayn replies to him harsh.

“You know what? I’ll find him myself, thanks—,”

“No, no! I can give you his number, or—I can tell you where he is!” Zayn says, not wanting Harry to go just now.

“Zayn! He is a completely stranger!” Liam says harshly under his breath. Harry still listened to him.

“I keep thinking for a reason of why you are still here if Louis is not here,” Zayn turns to say Liam, “Just go, you are getting on my nerves.”

“He is right, I’m a complete stranger,” Harry says, trying to calm things.

“Whose side are you now?” Zayn asks a bit harshly before remembering he is Harry Styles, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry,” Harry says with a half-smile.

“Look,” Zayn says, sighing and gripping at his hair, “Why don’t you come back around 5 o’clock,” Zayn says slowly, thinking before speaking, “And I’ll take you to where Louis is,” Liam is watching him weird, “That way, I’ll make sure you won’t do something bad to Lou.”

_Lou. The sound of Louis’ name sounds utterly beautiful._

Harry thinks about it for a while, and the he nods, smiling, “Okay, I’ll come back at 5.”

“Great!” Zayn replies, a slightly over the average volume, showing his happiness and excitement, “I’ll wait here.”

Liam groans from beside him and Zayn turns to slap him in his arm. Harry only chuckles at that.


	8. nothing on my mind but you.

It’ 5 o’clock sharp and Harry is already out of Forelsket. He decides to enter to let know Zayn he is there. It’s been such a weird day, but Harry hasn’t been able to process a thing so he’s barely hanging there, but he knows that if he doesn’t meet Louis before the day ends, he’s going to break.

Later, after all the drama that happened with Zayn and Liam--and explaining to Zayn, after Liam left, everything, like everything from the beginning--he decided to go back to the hotel, only finding out that there were a lot of paps outside. And see, he doesn’t know if they were there for him, but not wanting to cause a scene, he opted to just avoid the hotel for a couple of hours. So anyway, he decided to go and take a walk near the beach, with a pair of sunglasses and a beanie—bought from Zayn—sure he wouldn’t get notice and yeah, he was right. He wasn’t bothered at all. It’s like those people on Cardiff wasn’t so posh and persistent like people back in London.

A couple of hours later, he was still walking near the beach, feeling the salty air hit on his face, and then deciding to eat pretzels and corndogs, because an elegant restaurant wasn’t an option—besides, Harry didn’t want to—so he settled for that. Not that he was complaining; actually he enjoyed it because it had been long since he last ate something from the street.

Anyway, now, inside of the shop, once again, he was walking to the counter, watching Zayn talk to a blonde boy—or kind of, he could see his roots from where he is standing—and even before Harry could cough or do something to get noticed, Zayn is already standing up from the chair and going to Harry, smile big and wide, and glassy—maybe heart eyes—looking at Harry.

“You are here!” Zayn says, almost hugging Harry, but Harry is awkward and really, doesn’t know Zayn at all, so he only half does it before stepping back, “I thought you wouldn’t come.”

“Well, I’m here,” Harry says a bit embarrassed, not wanting to let Zayn’s dream break, because _he is here to see Louis after all_ , but well—Harry is a nice guy, okay?

“Niall, I’m leaving,” Zayn says to the blonde boy, going to the back of the shop for his things.

Harry stays there, in front of the blonde boy—Niall, and he doesn’t know what to do until—

“So you are Harry? Harry Styles the model?” Niall says, scanning Harry from head to toes, checking him out. And it’s weird see, because Harry is supposed to be used to this, but Niall, the guy in front of him, speaks a bit rude and thick—Harry thinks maybe he’s not british, doesn’t sound like he is—and his blue eyes are somewhat dark and Harry is sure he’s trying to see through his soul.

“Yeah, the one and only,” it’s the only thing Harry thinks to say in his defense.

“Nice to meet you mate,” Niall says, standing from his chair behind the counter, stretching himself to shake Harry’s hand, “Zayn hasn’t shut up all day talking about you.”

And well, if Harry’s cheeks are a bit red now, it’s pure coincidence.

“I hope good things,” Harry says, half smiling.

“Well, some good things, some other things, maybe even dirty ones—,”

“NIALL!” Zayn interrupts, already coming from the back of the shop, “We are going now, okay? See you tomorrow lad,” Zayn says, only waving goodbye and turning his back, walking to the door.

“Nice meeting you,” Harry says, smiling, trying to be nice.

“Same dude,” Niall says smiling in return, “Say hi to Louis from me!”

Harry stops and turns back, truly smiling now and nods his head before stepping out of the shop.

“So here’s the deal,” Zayn says, cigar between his fingers already burning and releasing smoke, “I’m going to be honest.”

Harry stands still, watching the smoke twirling on the air, going up, up and up until it disappears, not wanting to look Zayn directly.

“I have this massive crush on you. Massive. Not going to lie—there’s not point of it—I even have had some dirty thoughts about you,” Harry is obviously now paying attention to Zayn, maybe a bit scared, “But, I know it’s pointless. You are here for Louis,” Zayn says, a spark of disappointment on his face, but still talking seriously to him, taking a puff from the cig, “And he’s my best mate. Like, the bestest. So I don’t care if you are the most handsome man on earth, if you do something to him, if he ever gets hurt because of you, I will have to punch your pretty face.”

Harry wasn’t expecting that. And he doesn’t know why, but he’s grinning like a mad man. Zayn sure looks like the best friend someone could ever ask for, and he wants to thank him for taking care of Louis, so he only smiles and nods, not able to speak and Zayn nods too, exhaling the smoke and half smiling.

“Okay, let’s go then,” Zayn says, walking in front of Harry, leading the way to the antique shop.

\-------------------------

Louis has to stand up from the high chair, for the ninth time of the day, so his ass doesn’t go numb. It’s tiring, really, because there has been just a few clients but that’s it. No other task. His mum hasn’t been around since he arrived in the morning, and now it’s past 5 and he’s still alone. He’s thinking about what could possibly be doing his mum that could take so long.

Anyway, Louis always finds a way to make himself occupied on the shop. For example, there’s are some old lanterns in one of the shelves; he loves to change the candles inside of them just for funny purposes. There’s also some antique musical boxes, which start their song at the open, and sometimes Louis likes to open all at once just to hear all the noise.

But the thing that Louis loves the most to do on the shop, its fill all these old lonely frames. See, he always have post-its on his bag, like, different colors and even a special fountain pen, the one he loves to use for this, so he  loves to make these little notes where he pours his heart out and put them over the frames, so they are not lonely anymore.

And okay, sometimes they are quotes from books he has read or just stuff he sees on the internet, but lately, he has been writing down stuff about a certain someone and their words expressed through e-mails.

Anyway, his mom never asks, and he feels like this is the only way to tell _someone_ about Harry, so he does it. And truth be told, those are the ones that had been sold in the last week, so anyway, he thinks maybe it’s time to change the really old ones, to new ones. It’s time to spill his heart out one more time.

So he goes back to the counter, taking his bag from underneath and taking the post-its and his pen out.

_Falling asleep with the promise of your words, is as fulfilling as seeing the sun the next morning._

He misses Harry. Well, his e-mails. He should really text him. It feels lonely without him. Even if he isn’t there actually, Louis feels accompanied whenever texting him.

He takes the post-it with his words and goes to the table with the frames. He finally sees a little frame, a bit old, the grey paint almost falling off but it’s cute somehow and he notices there’s little gold dots around the frame, so he decides to put it there.

He goes back to his chair and sits, thinking about another phrase or quote to write down. He keeps thinking before deciding that maybe, he needs a bit of inspiration. He takes his phone out, first checking if there are any e-mails, but there aren’t, and then opening the music app, playing it on shuffle.

 _I Always Knew_ by The Vaccines starts playing and his heart almost skips a beat, because the song is just perfect for the mood.

_Down, down in my bones,_

_Somewhere I'd never ever known,_

_Right at the back of my head,_

Louis’ mind goes back to the night he received Harry’s first e-mail. He had a really strange day, because he had a sort-of-fight with his mother—like always, because of his father—and so Jay went out to have dinner alone until Louis calmed down. He was listening to his music, sitting on the front porch, hoping his mother would come back and apologize to her, but the night was getting darker and the air colder and so Louis had to enter back to the house. He went to his bedroom, decided to watch a movie on his laptop until Jay came back, but just as soon as he turned on his computer, he got an e-mail. Sure, it wasn’t for him, but he thought back then that it was rude to not reply, so he decided to tell the other person he got the wrong address.

That night, talking with Harry, Louis didn’t even notice when Jay came back. He was so into the e-mails, he almost forgot about his problems. And then, when it was time to say goodbye, Louis didn’t want to say goodbye. He felt like Harry was the only one that truly like talking to him and the conversation was so smooth and easy that he knew back then, that Harry was a special lad.

_It hit me like a beam of light,_

_Hit me like a hook of the right,_

_And I could have fell to the floor,_

So it was easy, the next day when Harry sent an e-mail. And it became a routine. An easy, simple routine. To have Harry there whenever he wanted to. Because he always replied. And they always talked. And it doesn’t matter if it was really late or really early, Louis could count on him. Now, this day, today, seems so strange because they haven’t e-mailed that much and he misses Harry and he misses his words on his phone.

“Hey bud,” Louis hears from the door of the shop, showing a serious Zayn there, “You okay? What’s happening?” Louis can almost hear the smoke of cigar on his accent—okay, maybe Louis could smell it too.

“Nothing, just chilling, everything good,” Louis says standing up from his spot, “What you doing here?”

Zayn only shakes his head and he steps aside, revealing someone behind him.

_'Cause you talk to me,_

_And it comes off the wall,_

_You talk to me,_

_And it goes over my head,_  

And it’s the guy from earlier, the one that knocked him down. That handsome guy that almost felt like Louis was on some sort of dream.

“Oh, hi,” Louis says but the guy doesn’t answer. The guy only looks at him, like a deer caught by the lights of an oncoming bus. 

Zayn turns back to see at the boy, like waiting for something, but the boy doesn’t manage a thing.

_So let's go to bed,_

_Before you say something real,_

_Let's go to bed,_

_Before you say how you feel,_

Louis is getting suspicious—and awkward, because the guy is really handsome, and hot, okay? And Louis’ memories aren’t fair to the beauty of the poor guy—so Louis decides to speak up again.

“Zayn, what’s going on? Who is this?” Louis says, trying his best to sound polite, and he’s getting closer to them, almost there with them, feeling the way the guy keeps staring and Louis can almost see the corners of his mouth curving upwards, slowly making him smile.

“Louis this is—uhmmm—Harry,” Zayn says before taking Louis hand and pulling him closer to them, “Harry Styles.”

_'Cause it's you, oh_

_It's always you, oh_

_I always knew, oh_

_It's you_

“Louis,” the guy says with a deep sweet voice, smile still on his face, eyes sparkling while watching Louis and then, it hits Louis like a train.

_Harry._

Louis suddenly jumps into him hugging him, legs around Harry’s waist and arms really tight around his neck. Harry wraps his arms just after he feels Louis’ weight on his, putting his arms around his torso, making sure Louis doesn’t fall, nuzzling his face into Louis’ neck.

If someone could see both of them right now—okay, maybe Zayn can—they would seem like the happiest guys on earth. And for a few seconds, they are. They escape from their world for a while, only focusing on each other, and the feeling of each other and the smell of each other and even the heartbeat of each other.

Louis can feel on his right cheek Harry’s curls slipping from his beanie. Harry can smell Louis’ cologne, right there on his neck. Louis can feel Harry’s hands on his waist, holding him up, really tight. Harry can hear Louis’ exhales the oxygen out of his lungs and then—

“Umm, so I’m going to leave you two, k?” Zayn says, a bit unsure of what else to do. He doesn’t even waves goodbye, he just starts walking out of the shop.

Harry leaves Louis on the ground, both of them sure taken out of trance immediately but Harry quickly reacts to Zayn’s words.

“Thanks Zayn,” Harry says softly, smiling to Zayn to show truly appreciation.

“No problem mate,” Zayn says smiling back and then, he’s gone, leaving Louis and Harry alone, finally, face to face.

“Hi,” Louis says, smile so wide and big that Harry could get lost in it. And he is. Slowly.

“Hi,” Harry replies back, smiling just as big as Louis.

Louis chuckles, so lightly and quiet, but still, he covers his mouth with one of his hands.

Harry looks at Louis with such delight, that they almost forgot that there’s other people in the world apart from them.

“You are here,” Louis whispers, still not able to control his smile.

“I’m here,” Harry nods, smiling to him.

Suddenly, Louis’ phone starts ringing from the counter. Louis turns back surprised and runs back inside to catch the call and answer.

“Hello?” Louis says, phone on his ear, trying to put his shit together.

Harry enters the shop then, not wanting to be away from Louis—not anymore. The shop is small, and a bit over stuffed, but it’s cozy and clean. There’s a lot of furniture there, with some other stuff that he’s sure Gemma would like.

_Oh shit, Gemma!_

He forgot about Gemma. He hasn’t sent a text to Gemma since yesterday and he’s not sure if she already knows he’s in Cardiff—news travel fast nowadays with all the social networking—and when he takes his own phone out of his pocket, obviously, he has three missed calls from her.

_Oh well, a little more time won’t hurt._

Louis just ended the call and it’s now walking towards Harry.

“Hey,” Harry says as Louis gets closer.

“Hey,” Louis says in return, smiling, “So this is a—uhmm—like big surprise.”

“Yeah, I intended it to be one, so,” Harry says, looking at the floor, “Was it bad?”

“No, it’s okay,” Louis says fondly, “But I have a lot of questions and doubts.”

“Okay, I understand,” Harry says nodding and he’s about to continue, and tell Louis that yes, he’s able to ask but—

“What about we discussed it later, maybe, over dinner?” Louis says a bit shy, not sure if he’s allowed to do that but then,

“Yes,” Harry says with a smirk on his face, “Eight o’clock it’s fine?”

Louis smile at that, looking up at Harry with pinkish cheeks, “Perfect.”


	9. let's make bad decisions together

_“Hello?”_

_“Hi darling, is everything alright?”_

_“Yeah, yeah good.”_

_“You sure?”_

_“Yeah, don’t worry mom.”_

_“Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”_

_“Alright, bye.”_

\------------------------------

After Harry is gone, a few minutes are able to go by before Jay arrives to the shop, with a few boxes and other stuff in her arms. Louis immediately goes to help her, carrying the boxes and kissing her in the cheek.

“What’s this?” Louis asks, putting them on the counter.

Jay going straight to the little room on the back of the shop, leaving her things there, “Just a few things I got in some garage sales,” she says smiling finally after stretching herself.

Louis hums and nods, all serious, not really processing that, but still thinking about Harry and the small moment they had a few minutes ago.

“Is everything alright, babe?” Jay asks, looking at Louis.

“Yeah—uhmm, actually I wanted to ask you if I can go to Zayn’s to have some dinner tonight?”

“To Zayn’s?” Jay asks with a bit of curiosity, “What’s the occasion?”

“Just,” Louis shrugs, trying his nervous self not to notice, “We just want to hang out for a bit.”

“Alright then,” Jay nods and smiles, not worrying further, because he really wants to trust her son.

“Are you—are you going to be okay?” Louis says seconds later, worrying for his mum.

“Darling, it’s just a dinner, don’t worry,” Jay says laughing lightly.

Louis nods and smiles, still not sure if he should tell his mom.

“Mom,” Louis says just over a light whisper, “Would you ever mind if, like—not for real, just hypothetically but like—would you mind if I start—like, dating—well, not dating but like, seeing someone?”

Jay sees her son and wow, she laughs about this because if this is what she has being worrying about, she surely has been dumb.

“Oh dear boy, of course it’s okay!” Jay says hugging him, “Don’t worry love, as long as you are happy.”

Louis nods enthusiastic then, smiling now honestly to her and kissing her cheek, “You are the best mom.”

Jay smiles and answer, “And you are the best son, love.”

 ------------------------------

It’s almost eight and Louis starts to get nervous somehow. Maybe it’s because he has been texting to Zayn all afternoon trying to know more about Harry.

So apparently, Harry is only one of the most handsome and desirable models in the UK. He got famous because Gemma, his sister—now Louis knows that all those tales about Gemma, was actually, quoting Zayn, “The New Artist Of Our Generation”, Gemma Styles—a new famous fashion designer decided to make Harry the face and principal model of her firm.

And to be honest, this scares Louis a bit. He never thought he would be dealing with someone famous. Maybe a creep, maybe someone ugly, maybe even a girl—but a model, never. He doesn’t even know how to act around him—maybe just normal? Or maybe… nope, he doesn’t know.

Anyway, Zayn has been telling him all afternoon that he should only be himself and that everything would be fine. And know Louis thinks he is  _the Zayn_  in this occasion and Zayn,  _the Louis._

But Louis is not fangirling—because well, he doesn’t know a single thing about Harry, or maybe he does, he googled him—but he’s just nervous. For months, he has been talking to this person and now, that person is here and he doesn’t know how to react or act or what to say or whatever. He is so _fucking_  nervous.

“Who are you texting dear?” Jay says from over his shoulder.

“Uhmm—just Zaynie,” Louis says, not turning back to see his mother, and well, he misses when Jay smiles and shakes his head.

_Okay Louis. Calm down. Just be yourself. And maybe a bit cheeky. And flirty. Wait, no!_

Louis groans internally and let his head hit the counter.

\------------------------------ 

Harry is back at the hotel, waiting the minutes to see Louis again. He doesn’t really understand why he should leave him there, because like, he could wait there in the shop with him until it’s time for dinner, but somehow, Louis seemed so eager for Harry to go, with like, a nervous type of thing, so Harry only agreed to it.

Anyway, Harry doesn’t know if he should change because he knows Louis will go with the same clothes—he is picking Louis from work—so he isn’t sure if he should change. He’s dressed decent, like tight black jeans and a white button up shirt, with the top three buttons opened. His hair, though, it’s a mess with all the humidity in this area—not the same as London. Maybe he should tie it up, maybe a bun or just a ponytail. He goes for the bun just for a while, because he’s not sure Louis will like it, so yeah.

He’s nervous, okay? He doesn’t know what to expect from Louis. He wants to be perfect for him. He doesn’t want Louis to think Harry is what magazines and newspapers say about him. Harry is not that  _Harry._ He is a whole different person. Well, at least that’s what he thinks.

Harry is sweating and still, smiling like an idiot thinking of Louis. He can’t even focus on one single thing at the time—always going back and forth between his thoughts—and still, when he manages to calm down a bit, when he looks at his phone, it still hasn’t passed even five minutes. And he goes back to insanity. All over again for the next five minutes.

When it’s almost eight, he is already walking out of the hotel, a few paps catching him and taking photos.  _Oh shit._

Well, he tried to avoid them earlier but he guesses that was a record—anyway, he knew it would be matter of time before they get HQ pics. Sooo.

 He tries to talk to them and asks for privacy, but like always, there’s a few that don’t even listen and keep taking photos. He doesn’t want the first date with Louis to be all over the news. He wants privacy. He wants to feel like, just Harry. Not Harry Styles.

And besides, he’s not even sure if media is still labeling as a womanizer just because he has a lot of female friends. He isn’t sure if the media knows or considers even the fact that he’s gay. It would be a shock to everybody watch Harry Styles with another guy. Like, Harry knows he has to let it out sometime but still, it’s a bit risky—not only for him, but for Louis.

He decides to go back inside to the hotel, asking the staff in the lobby if there’s another exit he could use, for him not to be seen. They all understand and help Harry, showing him the back door of the restaurant, the one food suppliers use for the deliveries, finally getting out of the hotel without anyone noticing.

He is back at the beautiful streets of Cardiff, the street lights making it look like a movie, and all the bars and shops lighten up with different colors, and the salty smell in the air, hitting his nose every time he inhales and the chill wind, making a weird but enjoyable combination with the warm weather. It’s just a perfect night, Harry thinks.

And when he is getting closer to the antique shop—even though he thinks is technically impossible—he starts to sweat even more. He is bitting his lip so hard he can almost taste the blood and he is more aware of all the people walking right beside him—maybe because they don’t recognize him, something weird in his everyday life—and he’s just a few feet away from the door of the shop, and he stops.

He watches inside, and he sees Louis talking with a woman—maybe his mother—and he sees how comfortable and nicely they are talking between each other.

He isn’t sure if he should interrupt. Because after all, it’s still a few minutes until eight so, technically, Harry is arriving early. He doesn’t want to seem desperate, even if he is.

He keeps staring at them, deciding that yes, maybe that’s Louis’ mother. He looks a bit like her, with the same kind of nose and smile; she even has the same blue eyes, like Louis. Well, not the same kind, because somehow, Louis’ are a shade of deep sweet blue, when hers are just… plain blue. Maybe it’s Harry’s perception.

http://dailyentertainmentnews.com/wpgo/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/johannah-poulston-louis-tomlinson.jpg

He notices Louis is wearing glasses and Harry isn’t sure if he has seen something more beautiful in his life. He decides not, because the view is just perfect, seeing Louis like this, all coy and sweet and showing so much fond—so he decides this is perfect.

He catches himself smiling like an idiot, stalking over Louis from outside, so he composes himself before deciding to e-mail Louis to let him know he’s already out there, waiting for him.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:53PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: I’m a stalker

Hey, I’m already here. I mean outside the shop. Been here a few minutes, just didn’t want to interrupt.

\-------------------------

He sees Louis take his phone out of his jeans and open the e-mail. He sees a smile form in his face, already typing down a response, with a bit of mischief on his eyes.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:54PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: I knew it

So you are a creep. I knew it all the time. Maybe you are not bald or fat, but you definitely are a creep. What did I get myself into?

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:55PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Still you talk with me

Lucky for you, I am a hot creep. That’s what you are getting yourself into.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:56PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: I’m all about bad decisions

When did you get so cheeky to flirt? Damn, I have taught you well, H.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:55PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Let’s make bad decisions together then

Stop grinning every time you answer. I’m smiling at that and I feel even creepier.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:56PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Okie then

Okay. I’ll be out in a few seconds. :)

\-------------------------

Harry looks up from his phone and back to the inside of the shop, watching Louis standing up from his place to go to the back of the shop. His mother though—Harry isn’t sure yet—looks worried. But just for a couple of seconds before Louis is back. He kisses her goodbye and he’s walking to the door.

Harry coughs awkwardly, not sure his voice is prepared to talk with Louis again, and he tries to arrange his clothes—maybe button up one of the buttons of the shirt, maybe he’s showing to much skin—and then looks back to where Louis sees him, walking towards Harry, smiling fondly at him, glasses still on him and he can see he’s carrying his backpack.

Without noticing, Harry is getting closer to him, just to greet him with open arms, both of them hugging tight like they haven’t seen each other in years.

It's a bit awkward, because even though Harry wants to kiss Louis so so much, he feels it's not right. And they only hug, before Louis pushes back. 

"So you like hugs, huh?" Louis says teasingly but still a hint of fond on his voice. 

"Yeah, also cuddles," Harry says a light pinkish fade on his cheeks. 

"Well, what a great coincidence," Louis says hitting him lightly on Harry's shoulder. 

Harry chuckles at that—he really doesn't know where that came from—and he nods. 

They start walking, Harry following Louis, just talking about Cardiff and random things. Never asking about Harry's life or Louis' life, but just enjoying the moment and talking about the most random and cute things. 

The mood and the darkness that the city presents it's even perfect, because it just sets a romantic environment. The street lights and the salty air and the warmth with chill cool air. The smell of bread when they walk beside a bakery and how Harry then has to tell Louis how he likes to bake pastries and cakes, but only when Gemma is not around. And then Louis teases him, with fond and cuteness, obviously, and he makes Harry promise to make his favorite cake then, Better Than Sex cake—yeah, that's the actual name, google it— and Harry promises to do it—the cake, not the sex. 

And they keep talking and walking and it feels like ten years but it's only been some minutes until Louis stops in a little restaurant, not by the sea, but right there, in the downtown part and it's... cozy. 

The light is warm and dim, tables are scattered around the place, and there's a hall that surely leads to the kitchen. 

It's only one floor, and there's music coming out from a few  speakers up in the roof. The paper-walls are all covered on random things, like old photographs and quotes written with Sharpie and such. It's just a perfect place; Harry can imagine Louis coming often. 

"Lou," a blonde girl greets them, walking to them, hugging Louis tight, "What a surprise! I thought you had a strict rule of coming here only every three Saturdays."

Harry's confused face is not enough for them to explain because Louis answers right away, 

"Pezza!" he says hugging her too,  "I know, but I had to drag down my...," and he doesn't finish, but instead turns to see Harry. 

"Harry, nice to meet you," Harry says smiling, not sure what to say or either if they are even  _something._

"Hey boy, nice to meet you too," she says smiling, her eyes scanning him and wow, Harry feels naked. 

"It's a keeper; he's so  _hot_ ," she whispers to Louis and well—Louis only can blush, trying to hide it and Harry tries to fight back a grin. They both fail. 

"Just.. give us a table, please Perrie," Louis says after a few seconds, composing himself back. 

She leads them to a table in the back of the restaurant, a few people greeting Louis in the way there, and it's the first time Harry is not the centre of attention. And he likes it.  _Because Louis deserves it so much more._

When they arrive to the table, Perrie only smiles, nodding and promising to come back once they know their orders, leaving two menus there. 

Once they are on their chairs, Louis decides to speak up. 

"You know, it's not like, the kind of restaurants you are used to go, but I swear it's really—,"

"It's perfect," Harry says smiling to him, "I actually like it much better than the ones I'm used to."

"Are you sure?" Louis asks unsure, "Because—like, I know it's not good but—is it bad that I don't know much about you? Only a few things. Now that I look back, only a few things that Zayn used to talk about when we were working."

Harry takes the questions and thinks before saying, "Actually, it's much better because that way, we can get to know each other at the same time," he says with fond on his eyes. 

Louis lets out a nervous laugh and then sighs, "I'm not even good at this."

"At what?"

"This."

"You mean dating."

And yes. Louis meant dating. But he didn't want to say it himself. He didn't know Harry counted this as a date. Apparently, he does. 

Louis smiles before nodding, "Yes, dating."

"Well, lucky for you, I've seen a lot of John Hughes' movies so I know about dating," Harry says with a serious face, Louis chuckling in front of him, "You go out, typically to have dinner or watch a movie, then," Harry says, leaning on the table, hushed voice and a lot deeper, "There's a bit of flirting, you know," Harry reaches for Louis hand and takes it, "And I'm pretty sure," it's almost a whisper now, both of them leaning to each other, looking at each other's eyes, "If there's any luck to people like me, I get a kiss at the end of the night."

Louis can see Harry's little smirk building up on his face and he can't contain the urge to bit his lower lip. 

"Let's hope to that, then," Louis says before winking and composing himself, pulling back. 

"Tease," Harry says to himself but Louis catches it and, 

"YOU are the tease," Louis says offended. 

"You ready to order?" Perrie interrupts because she's back, a little pad on her hand and pencil on the other. 

Harry looks at Louis, because of course they didn't get to check the menus, so Louis should order. He knows the restaurant. 

"You know what, Pez? Tell Pauly to prepare whatever he would like," Louis says finally, "We will gladly eat it."

"And to drink?" Perrie asks, writing down on the pad. 

Louis looks at Harry now, waiting for him to order first. Harry really really wants champagne but he doesn't want to sound posh. Maybe, just a beer? "A beer? The best one you have," he says, not entirely sure. 

Louis chuckles, "A couple of Coronas will be fine."

"Okidoki," Perrie says nodding, taking both menus and leaving them alone. 

The silence afterwards is not awkward but it feels somehow wrong, so Louis decides to speak up. 

"You know, never in a million years I would have imagined you were the one on the other side of the comptuer," he says with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, "Don't get me wrong, this is amazing—it's just, it feels all like a soap opera—fairytale thing."

"Is that bad?"

"No, I mean—not unless, like, there's something that I should know?" Louis ends the sentence asking. 

"Well, let's see. I'm Harry Styles. I'm 18. I'm a model—you knew that—my sister, Gemma is the one to blame—or thank—because she is a fashion designer. I live in London and—,"

"Wait," Louis interrupts, his hand in the air, "I know all those things already, I want something real, something not even the magazines know."

Harry thinks for a moment and then, he starts speaking. 

"I'm Harry, I'm 18 years old. I'm from a little city called Holmes Chapel, in Cheshire. My dad left us when I was a kid, and my mom had to raised us by herself. It wasn't until Gemma decided the fashion career that she got married again. We didn't like the man she married with, so we decided to move to London. It's only Gemma and I."

Harry stops, because maybe it's too much, but Louis smiles reasuring him and nods, for him to continue. 

"I haven't felt this happy in a while. I haven't felt comfortable in a while. You make all of that. All of this. coming here was a decision but the thought of meeting you was what kept myself going. I didn't even know how you looked like. Still, thinking about just seeing your smile once, felt enough for me to keep going." 

Louis is now frozen—doesn't even know what to do—on his spot, staring directly at Harry. And Harry is waiting for a reaction, something really, but he can't wait. 

"And maybe you don't feel the same but I really—I really want to try... something with you. If you want. If you are willing to do it. No pressure."

And well, really no pressure but Louis should say something quickly because Harry's nerves are building up and they are going to explode. 

"Hey guys," Perrie says again, bringing the beers and putting them on the table, "Just wanted to tell you, ehmm—you, Harry, right?" Perrie says pointing with her slim fine finger to Harry, "There are people waiting for you—they look like paparazzis and even some fans—or crazy chicks, the same," she says trailing off,  "What should I do?"

Instantly, Louis comes out of trance—because, paparazzis? fans?—and speaks for both of them, "Uhhmm—don't say a thing, and try to mantain them busy while Harry and I scape through the back door," he says already standing from his sit and offering his hand to Harry. 

Harry sees the hand for a few seconds before he takes it, and at the instant touch, little sparks ignite through his spine, all the way from the top to the bottom. It's magical and exciting and Louis is only touching him. God, imagine when—never mind. 

So they stand up, leaving beers untouched—what a waste, I know—a few people on the next tables turning to see them, but they don't really care—or they don't know—and so Louis and Harry walk quickly to the hall, while Perrie asks the other waiters to help her handle the crowd outside. 

The second they enter the kitchen, and the smell of butter cooking on the pans reaching their noses, a big man with dark hair and beard yells from the other side of the kitchen. 

"Loueh!" the man, that looks like the chef, greets, smile wide and white, "Come and give Chef Paul a big hug!"

"Can't," Louis says, still holding Harry's hand and apologetic smile, "We are running."

Paul turns to see Harry and then, peeks through the little window of the kitchen's door, "Understood," he says nodding, "Good luck birds!"

A few seconds after and they are finally outside, in the back part of the restaurant. It's a darkish alley with several trash cans and a simple dim light over the door, not giving enough light to see all the space around. 

Louis' hand is still holding Harry's and Harry has a fool smile on his face, not really sure about what just happened. 

"Sorry I just—I don't like large crowds, I'm—I didn't want them to see me and make a big deal, and you are—well, famous and I'm no one and thing is—,"

Harry interrupts Louis with his index finger over his  _oh so_  soft lips. 

"Shh," Harry whispers, leaning over Louis. And Louis is stepping back. Until he hits the wall with his back. And Harry keeps getting closer. 

"Harry," Louis tries to say, Harry's finger still on his lips, and well, that only made Harry to trap Louis' bottom lip with two of his fingers now, stopping Louis from talking. 

And Harry is staring at Louis' lips and Louis is staring at Harry's and the dim light is contouring their facial expressions and even when they are very close, Harry still manages to make them closer, making his chest bump into Louis' and Harry moves his other hand to Louis' waist and Louis gasps, blushing—because yeah, even in that light, Harry can see Louis' pinkish cheeks—and Louis' glasses are halfway down his nose and he looks utterly beautiful and his fringe is all over his face and Harry can't control himself. He can't. 

So when Harry closes the gap, the small space that was keeping them apart, and kisses Louis' soft lips, it's the sparks all over again, instead multiplied by ten, and they are not little sparks anymore but fireworks and even if Harry doesn't like them, he likes so so much these ones. And everything feels awesome, so lightheaded, like flying. And it becomes even better when Louis responds the kiss, opening his mouth, savouring Harry's, making muffled noises and now both of Harry's hands are at Louis' waist, pushing him into the wall, and Louis has his hands around Harry's neck, taking him closer and closer and into him. It's so delicious and so captivating that they only separate when they are running out of air.  _And god damn it, they are running out of air._

It's only for an instant, not even a second, and Harry wants more, more, more but Louis stops him. 

"Haz—Harry," he whispers, jading because of the lack of air, "We should—we should take it easy."

Harry opens his eyes, finally, to see how flushed Louis looks.  _So so beautiful. So hot._ _Dick, please control yourself._

"Okay," Harry whispers, still so close to Louis that when he speaks, he brushes Louis' lips. Tempting. 

"We should—uhmm, we should, get going before they found us—you," Louis says, trying to manage himself—and subtly arranging his pants. Well, at least Harry is not the only one. 

"Lou?" Harry says before letting him go, not that close anymore, but still chests touching. Louis doesn't answer, only turns himself to look at Harry, "Let's go then, together," he says smiling and taking Louis' hand, both of them walking, side by side, and trying to avoid the crowd still outside the restaurant. 


	10. falling for you won't be a mistake

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:46 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: ):

I already miss you.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:47 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Sap

I just literally closed the door of my house.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:48 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: So what?

I still miss you.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:49 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: So sap.

Well, we will see each other tomorrow.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:50 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Innit.

I want to kiss you again.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:51 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Innit.

God H. I told you, we will sort it out tomorrow.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:52 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Innit.

Come down. I want to kiss you again.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:53 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: Innit.

Fuck Harry, I thought you were already on your way back to the hotel. I can’t come down, I’m on my PJ’s.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:54PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Innit.

Please come down. Just for a bit. Just a small kiss. Please. A goodnight kiss? Please.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 11:31 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Stupid Haz

Are you happy now? I did against my rules. It was more than “just for a bit” … and that was definitely not a small kiss.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 11:32 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Lovely Lou

I am more than happy, yes. Thank you. And sometimes going against the rules is exciting. Besides, I like bad boys.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 11:33 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: Stop it

Stop flirting with me and let me go to sleep! I have to work tomorrow.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 11:34 PM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Nope :)

Okie then. I’m on my way to the hotel. Sleep well Lou. See you tomorrow xx.

\-------------------------

From: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 11:35 PM

To: HES0102@yahoo.com

Subject: You flirting bastard

See you tomorrow Haz xxx.

\-------------------------

Next day and everything seemed brighter. Sure, the weather says it’s going to be cloudy all day and maybe a small drizzle but still, Louis could see more clearly.

Yesterday was… interesting. He got to meet Harry. He got to kiss Harry. He got to hold Harry’s hand. And then he got to kiss Harry more. And a little more.

He got to touch his soft hair. And he got to see his green bright eyes. He got to see that lovely smile. He got to see those fucking dimples. Those are going to be Louis’ perdition. 

It’s barely seven in the morning and Louis is wide awake. And it’s good because he can actually take a shower and take extra time to dress himself and style his hair.

He doesn’t like his glasses but he needs them a lot at the store—mostly to read stuff and products, or use the computer—but he can perfectly see without them. Or sort of.

He goes down to the kitchen and Jay is already preparing him a bagel with cheese cream and bacon on it. Louis tummy growls.

Right, they didn’t even get dinner last night.

“Smells delicious mom,” Louis says, greeting her with a kiss on her cheek.

“Thanks baby, it’s almost ready,” Jay smiles, finishing the bagel.

Louis sits down on the table then, taking a glass of fresh orange juice and taking out his phone.

There’s no e-mails—not that he was expecting any—and he decides to open Twitter because why not? He hasn’t logged in for like, two weeks probably and maybe he doesn’t have like, even a hundred of followers but there’s something about it that he likes.

He scrolls down a bit and there’s nothing interesting until he sees a tweet. A tweet that Zayn retweeted. And it’s from Harry.

_@Harry_Styles: “A moment, a love, a dream, a laugh, a kiss, a cry, our rights, our wrongs...A Moment AAAHHHHHH!!” [retweets 22,859 – favourites 12,752] 12:07 AM / 16 Jul 2013_

It was… Harry’s twitter page. And that tweet was just after he left Louis’ house. The tweet. And so many retweets. And favorites. He truly feels his insides all tangled.

“So how was last night babe?” Jay asks, leaving the plate with the bagel in front of Louis.

“Huh?” Louis lifts his head with dazed eyes.

“Last night? With Zayn?” Jay says, sitting in front of Louis with a cuppa on her hands.

“Ah,” Louis says, remembering the lie he told his mother, “Good, yeah. We just had dinner and played some FIFA.”

“That’s nice,” Jay says, sipping from her cuppa.

“Yeah,” Louis says smiling, locking his phone and leaving it on the table to grab his bagel.

Yeah. Last night was nice.

\-------------------------

Harry is awaken by the buzz of his phone under his pillow. He doesn’t even open his eyes, so he just takes his phone and answers without looking at the screen.

“Hello?” Harry answers with raspy husky voice, probably just because it’s morning.

“WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL? YOU ARE IN CARDIFF? WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT? HARRY EDWARD STYLES YOU BETTER EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT YOU ARE DOING THERE!!!”

At Gemma’s voice, Harry instantly sits straight up and opens his eyes. He forgot about Gemma. Again.

“Gemma!” Harry says nervously, trying to untangle himself from the bed sheets.

“HARRY, YOU BETTER EXPLAIN NOW WHY YOU ARE THERE—,”

“I will just,” Harry says, finally walking through the room, only in his briefs, not even doing a thing, just pacing around, “M’ here to see a friend, that’s all.”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?”

“Gemma, I swear to god, if you could stop yelling this would be a better conversation.”

“DON’T SASS ME RIGHT NOW!” Gemma shouts from the other side of the line, before inhaling and exhaling a few times.

Harry waits, biting the knuckle of his right index.

“Okay now,” Gemma says after a few seconds, “I’m going to try to not shout, but don’t expect me to talk nice.”

“Fair enough,” Harry says still a bit nervous.

“First of all, how dare you? Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Gemma says, trying not to sound exasperated.

“Well, you were in Paris. You still are. Thought you wouldn’t mind.”

“I do mind. I’m sort of your manager. And your sister. And you should always talk to me first.”

“You are not my manager—,”

“BUT I’M STILL YOUR SISTER!”

Harry shuts up and listens how Gemma tries to control again. Inhale and exhale.

“Second, if you didn’t want to tell me, fine. But you should have told the guys in the office,” Gemma says exhaling, clearly more relaxed.

Oh shit. He forgot to call the office.

Back in London, Gemma had hire some people to control over her and Harry’s schedule and appointments. They work right beside Gemma’s offices, where she and her crew create and design new stuff.

“And third, why are you even there?” Gemma asks, curiosity peeking through her voice.

Right. She doesn’t know about Louis.

“Uhmm—well, sorry I forgot to call the office. I was just… excited,” Harry says cautiously.

Gemma is waiting for Harry and Harry is not sure how to say it. Harry stops in front of the window, watching Cardiff from his spot. He can see Forelsket from there.

So maybe just keep it simple?

“M’ here to visit… a friend,” Harry says, not entire sure, “It’s just, a friend I met through… internet?”

“Harry,” Gemma says seriously, not scolding him, “What is going on? Please just tell me the truth.”

“The truth?” Harry asks, still facing the window.

“Please,” Gemma says, all of the sudden sounding tired.

“I think I’m falling for him Gems. For Louis. That’s who I am visiting. I have been e-mailing him ever since that day of March when we had to travel to New York and there was no one to watch Dusty. I typed the wrong e-mail address and he got it. He didn’t know back then it was me, and we just… we kept talking over e-mails. It’s been four months and just yesterday, I got to meet him.”

“And he’s so wonderful Gems. So cute and kind and incredible. He doesn’t even know who I am, now that he have met me. I'm a common lad for him. He is small but so… big. He has the most amazing smile ever and whenever he does it, he gets crinkles by his eyes and he likes to wrinkle his nose whenever he doesn’t like something. And oh god, he’s so sassy. He loves to sass me for everything and he gets the last word and—,”

“Harry,” Gemma interrupts him, gets him out of his day dream, because god, Harry even forgot he was talking with Gemma through the phone, “He sounds… amazing,” Gemma sighs and Harry can feel her smiling lightly, “I was just worried for you Harry. And if he makes you happy—well, who am I to forbid that, yeah? Just, be careful H. Paparazzis are crazy right now, and they will try to get every detail of the story. Please, be careful.”

Harry smiles at his sister’s words. And he feels more relieved.

“Of course Gems, I’ll take care,” Harry says with a wide smile, “Have fun while you’re in Paris. And say hi to Karl for me.”

“You idiot,” Gemma says now, fully to the sister mode, “You haven’t even asked me about my work. I take that as personal offense.”

Harry laughs at that, “I’m sure you want to brag all about your dream job Gemma, but if you brag about your job, I will brag about my boy.”

“Touché,” Gemma says on the other side.

“I promise to call you later, after I get some breakfast, so you can brag all you want,” Harry says putting his hand over his tummy.

“Fine, but it’s my time to tell you about my days,” Gemma says with a hint of sass on her tone.

“You know, he’s even more sassy than you. Maybe you two will get perfectly along,” Harry says.

 “We’ll see about that lil bro,” Gemma says happily, “Talk to you later frog.”

“Talk to you later pixie,” Harry says before ending the call.

Well, that turned out just perfect. He still has to call the office.

He dials Ellie’s phone and puts it on speaker while he puts on his black jeans from the floor.

“Ello?” a girly voice says on the other side.

“Hey, Ellie, it’s me Harry,” Harry says and well, time to explain again.

\-------------------------

Louis and Zayn are on the shop now, talking and eating tacos as the day goes by and, to be honest, Louis has his nerves wrecking him.

Harry hasn’t texted him and he doesn’t know when to expect him.

It’s been a calm day at the shop, so Zayn and Louis are just chilling. Still, Louis feel like he should apologize to Zayn or whatever, because well, it’s Harry; his long-life crush.

“Zaynie,” Louis says, and he sees Zayn snorts, shaking his head, “I just wanted to tell you—because it only feels right, okay?—but I just wanted to apologize for… taking Harry? I know he has been your crush for a long time, but I didn’t even knew it was him and—,”

"It’s okay Lou, really,” Zayn says smiling, “It was only a silly crush and besides, I think he’s not what I thought of him,” Zayn says.

“How come?” Louis asks a bit offended. Or angry. Or just protective.

“Because he really is a sap for you,” Zayn says, looking at his friend, “I thought he would be more… casual? But he is literally a child and like, a baby giraffe trying to walk, not knowing what the future is ahead or something.”

Louis smiles then, seriousness washing out and he nods, “He does look like a giraffe.”

“I didn’t think he would be so tall, I mean yeah, he’s a model but I never thought—,”

“He would be tall like a skyscraper? Yeah, me neither,” Louis says, and they both start laughing.

Everything feels comfortable again and Louis knows Zayn is okay with this. Their friendship is in balance again. 

Just then, Liam arrives to the shop and well, here we go.

“Louis!” Liam shouts the second he sees Louis behind the counter. He jogs all the way and stops only when Louis stands up to greet him.

“Hey Li,” he says, smiling softly.

“Are you okay? What did that Harry kid told you? Everything fine?” Liam is talking so fast Louis has to turn back to Zayn for an explanation.

“Ah, yes,” Zayn says finally looking at Liam, “He was here when Harry came yesterday to look for you.”

“And he was rude,” Liam says to Zayn.

“No, you were rude!” Zayn shouts back to him.

“You both are being childish now,” Louis says to both of them, “It’s okay Li, I’m good. More than good actually,” he says without thinking and right after, he can see the shot of pain on Liam’s face.

“Okay,” Liam says more softly, still with his face pained.

Zayn turns to look back to Louis and decides to leave both of them alone, opting for the back of the shop for a while.

When they are finally alone, Louis speaks up, talking soft and low, “Li,” he says to get Liam’s attention, “I just want you to know that I care for you, like a lot,” Louis says, Liam still looking at the floor, “And you’re like a brother to me, Liam, like my bear brother,” Louis says, taking Liam’s hand, “And I—I just, with Harry—it’s different, the kind of feelings I get—and I can’t control it, but please know, that you’re perfect and maybe, there’s someone else out there especially for you, yeah?”

Liam is finally lifting his head up to see Louis, and a small smile appear on his lips, “Someone else? Apart from you?”

“Someone even better, I’m sure of it,” Louis says smiling wide now.

“Thanks for being so nice Louis,” Liam says, sighing finally.

Louis decides to hug him and give him a few pats on the back before stepping back.

“So,” Liam says after a few seconds, “Is he good to you?”

“Really good,” Louis says with a smitten smile, “We went on a date yesterday, but we had to escape from the restaurant cause there were fans and paparazzis outside.”

“Really? Is he that famous?” Liam asks.

“What do you mean if he is that famous? Of course he is famous you stupid geek!” Zayn shouts from behind them; so he was listening all along. Sneaky bastard.

“Well, sorry for not being a victim of the media and marketing and all of that stuff and clothes,” Liam answers back, both of them back to fight.

Louis can only sigh at that and shakes his head. He suddenly feels his phone vibrates.

\-------------------------

From: HES0102@yahoo.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 11:21 AM

To: lwt24xx@gmail.com

Subject: Hello

Is it a good time to enter the shop? I don’t want to interrupt the fight.

\-------------------------

Louis looks up from the phone and—right there outside, Harry is watching him fondly, smiling.

 _Creepy,_  Louis mouths.

Harry chuckles and starts walking to the shop, taking a few seconds before he enters.

“Hi,” Louis says, meeting him halfway, “Good morning.”

“Or afternoon,” Harry says smiling, trying to control himself to kiss Louis right there.

“Still morning love,” Louis says smiling, taking his hand and guiding him to where Zayn and Liam are.

They are still arguing, but definitely not for the same reason and Harry has to clear his throat a few times before Zayn notice he is there.

“Harry!” Zayn shouts, interrupting Liam’s argument, “Still feel a bit starstruck every time I see you mate,” Zayn says, with a sincere smile.

“Hey there,” Liam greets simply, still not very fond of Harry.

Harry greets them too, smiling and saying hello, still a bit clumsy about it but he manages it all perfectly.

“So,” Harry says after they are left alone, Zayn going back to the back of the shop and Liam gone for the day, “What are we doing today?”

“Well, I still have to call my mother and let her know,” Louis says worried, “I don’t want her to wait for me on the antique shop, so let me tell her.”

Louis takes out his phone and dials her number.

_“Hello?”_

“Hey mom, just calling to let you know I will go out with a … friend today, so I won’t be able to go down to the shop,” Louis says through the phone.

_“It’s okay honey. What friend? Liam? Niall?”_

“No mum, it’s uhmm—Harry, you don’t know him—anyway, thanks mom, see you tonight.”

_“Louis wait, who is Harry? I never heard of him? Louis—,”_

And Louis hangs up.

“Everything alright?” Harry asks, oblivious to the conversation.

“Yeah,” Louis smiles, trying to hide his worries, “Perfect.”

“Okay so,” Harry says, getting closer to Louis, “What are we doing today?”

Louis feels the air around him heavier and it’s amazing what Harry’s voice can do to his body so he has to blink a few times to be able to speak.

“Uhmm—well, we can only go—like, for a walk? Give you a proper tour and all of that,” Louis says barely, feeling weak.

“Perfect,” Harry says smiling widely and touching Louis’ arm.

And fuck.  _It feels so good._

“Zayn,” Louis tries to shout but it’s still weak, “I’m going now, you will be good on your own.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever,” Zayn shouts from the back.

“Let’s go,” Louis says smiling, taking Harry’s hand and both of them exiting the shop.

It’s cloudy outside but it’s not cold or windy. You still can smell the salt of the sea in the air and there’s not so many people on the streets.

Harry can’t see any paps around so it feels kind of safe to keep walking while holding Louis’ hand. But, ihe is still unsure what they are. Boyfriends? Friends with benefits? Boyfriends for a couple of days while Harry is there?

Harry doesn’t want to ask Louis and he sure doesn’t want to make a mess of it on his head, so he decides to forget it for the moment and just try to spend a good time with Louis.

Louis takes Harry to Waterfront Park, just a few blocks from there, and they just keep walking, talking about a few things, not so important, spending time there and what not.

“So I talked with Gemma today,” Harry says, playing mindlessly with Louis’ fingers, “And she kind of wants to meet you.”

“Really? You told her about me?”

“Yeah, well—she literally found about me coming here so I had to tell her,” Harry says but shit, that didn’t sound good, “I mean—I wanted to tell her—but she can be touchy with these things and, well I didn’t know you personally and she thinks it’s dangerous—and like, you know, because of her and her firm and—,”

“Harry, it’s fine,” Louis says comforting him, “Actually, I’m glad you haven’t made it like, public. I’m not fond of crowds and such.”

“That’s why you wanted to left yesterday?” Harry asks.

“Yeah, I’m not very social or friendly—well, I am, but just like, with a few, not really with everyone,” Louis says, trying to explain himself.

“It’s okay, if you don’t want to, I won’t tell,” Harry says smiling.

“Thanks,” Louis answers, “So, she wants to meet me?”

“Yeah, but she’s in Paris—,”

“Yeah, Zayn told me about that,” Louis interrupts, “Karl Lagerfeld; that’s a really good opportunity.”

“It is,” harry says nodding, “And I’m so happy for her. She deserves it.”

“Well, just as well, you deserve all the good things, so I’m happy you are the face of that collection.” 

“Nah, it’s just because she is my sister,” Harry says shaking his head, “She’s the real genius.”

“Harold, I’m sure your sister had nothing to do with your body and face. That’s all yours. Don’t put yourself down,” Louis says serious now.

“My body and my face?” Harry says teasingly, “What about them?”

“Uhmmm—like, you’re… good, yeah? You’re… sharp,” Louis says, red cheeks visible and Harry is more that content now.

“Okie then,” Harry says smiling and Louis has to hit him in the arm, because well—no he didn’t.

“That’s actually like our thing, isn’t it?” Louis asks. Harry nods and squeezes Louis’ hand, still walking through the park.

“So, how does it feel to be an only child? Not having siblings, I mean,” Harry asks, trying to make conversation.

“Oh well, I don’t know, like… lonely?” Louis chuckles sadly, shrugging, “I wouldn’t know really, because it feels normal to me but—well, it feels comfortable in a way, like, secure, because it’s only me mom and I so, like, it’s easier? In a way? I guess.”

“Yeah I get you,” Harry says, “I mean, Gemma is my sibling but it feels more like my mom. Not that I don’t like my mom—I like her, I love her, but I don’t see her that much since she married again, so yeah.”

“What happened to your dad?” Louis asks, not trying to be rude or anything.

“Oh well, my parents divorced when I was little, like when I was seven years old. My dad married again but like, since we didn’t see him that much when we were back in Holmes Chapel, it’s even impossible now that Gemma and I are in London. I think last time I saw him was like, two years ago or something,” Harry says, trying to remember.

“At least you know your dad,” Louis says without thinking and well, that takes Harry by surprise, “I mean, like—your dad knows about you and I guess he sometimes remembers you? Mine doesn’t even know I exist.”

“What?”

Louis sighs and decides it’s time to open up, “The thing is, my mom never told him she was pregnant. My dad was a candidate running for mayor of Doncaster, back in 1990. He had a wife but I think they were kind of unhappy, or at least that’s what my mom says. Anyway, my mom met him when she was working for the government in the health sector, helping kids and women. They kind of fell in love and they were dating in secret because of all the other woman thing. But then, he won the elections and the PR team wanted him to use his legit wife and legit son to be presented as the perfect family that would lead Doncaster through those four years. And when he won the elections, my mom found out she was preggo.”

“Because she was working with the government back then, she knew an affair would be bad for him and the election, and everybody would despise her, so she decided to run away. No explanations, no notes left behind. She just left, escaping from her life there to start a new one as a mother. And I’m really grateful for that. She has taken care of that good.”

Louis ends with a half-smile and eyes looking at the floor, a bit ashamed of his life. Because seriously, not everyone knows the story but somehow Harry feels safe enough for him to tell it. And it doesn’t matter if his mom scolds him later for that, he wanted to share this with Harry.

Harry is left with no words and he can see Louis is not so proud but, Harry is. Harry is so proud of him for being so brave and for being able to keep going even if his life is not what he deserves. Harry is so so proud; so he only can step closer to Louis and hug him, hug him so tight that he doesn’t feel a thing but the mere presence of Harry there.

“I’m sure, he would be so proud of you if he knew about you, because I am,” Harry says stepping back, “I’m proud of you and how amazing and brave you are,” Harry says cupping Louis’ face, leaning closer, “You’re so fucking awesome the way you are and there’s nothing to be ashamed of, okay?”

Louis gives him a little nod, and Harry closes the gap between them, kissing him on his soft lips.

It’s short and gentle, but it feels so right that Harry knows this moment here, it’s one that he will remember.

They decide it’s time for lunch so they leave the park behind along with the blue feelings.

Since Louis doesn’t want to be seen, Harry suggest going to his hotel and ordering room service. And Louis accepts but only if they can watch a movie. 

It’s sushi then and The Avengers. Only because apparently, Louis is a super mega fan of super-heroes and Harry lets him the choice.

And to be honest, Harry doesn’t mind because he loves Robert Downey Jr.  _Sue him, he finds him attractive._

Besides, he can see Louis freeze every time Chris Hemsworth enters the scene. So it’s not only Harry, really.

And when the movie ends, they are still lying on the bed, Louis’ head on Harry’s chest and Harry’s hands playing with Louis’ hair.

“Lou?” Harry says after a while, soft and low, afraid that maybe Louis fall asleep.

“Yeah?” Louis answers soft as well, siting up and turning to see Harry.

“Can I take a picture of us? I want it to be my background,” Harry says, with a little grin on his face, “Please?”

“Every time you have that smile and say  _Please_  like a toddler, you know I will accept, you manipulative little shit,” Louis answers sassing.

“Just like yesterday?” Harry says, remembering the kiss when Louis was wearing his black and white PJ’s.

“Just like yesterday,” Louis repeats, moving himself right beside Harry.

Harry takes out his phone and opens the front camera, aiming for a selfie.

“God I look terrible,” Louis says, trying to style his hair.

“No, you look adorable,” Harry says, kissing his cheek and deciding to press the shutter right there.

“Hey!” Louis says, wrinkling his nose, “You didn’t even wait for me to get ready!”

Harry laughs and it keeps like that, with an improvise selfie photoshoot with Harry’s phone.

At least ten photos were taken and after it, they decide which should be Harry’s background.

“Send them to me! I want them too!” Louis says, taking out his phone.

“Via e-mail?” Harry asks, teasingly.

“Actually, we should really trade numbers because my e-mail is getting full, like—only if you want,” Louis says, looking at him.

“Yeah sure,” Harry says, not even feeling threatened, “WhatsApp?”

“Yeap,” Louis says, taking Harry’s phone to put his number, “There ya go.”

And Harry sends the photos. And Louis saves the phone number.

And Harry wishes he could upload one of those photos to Instagram to let the whole world that he is slowly falling for the blue eyed boy. 


	11. middle of the story

\-------------------------

WhatsApp

Wednesday - July 17 2013 - 11:41 pm

Harold: You're now my phone's background.

Louis T.: Well, in that case I'm going to put a picture of you as my icon.

Harold: Louis!

Louis T.: HAROLD!

Harold: It's Harry...

Louis T.: I still don't care :)

Harold: Hey, I actually look decent on that picture.

Louis T.: I like it because you're pouting.

Harold: Because you didn't want to kiss me for the pic.

Louis T.: Because I don't want a photo of us kissing.

Harold: Why not?!

Louis T.: Because I rather do it than watch it.

Harold: Cheeky.

Louis T.: ;)

Harold: Do you want us to sext?

Louis T.: God damn it H. That shouldn't be asked. It should come natural.

Harold: Oh...

LouisT.: ...

Harold: So... do you?

Louis T.: Do you have Snapchat?

\-------------------------

WhatsApp

Thursday - July 18 2013 - 7:09 am

Louis T.: I know you're probably asleep right now.

Louis T.: But good morning :)

Louis T.: For when you wake up.

Louis T.: Also, we should probably hang out early today.

Louis T.: Message me when you wake up xx.

Thursday - July 18 2013 - 10:38 am

Harold: Heyy. Good morning sunshine!

Harold: I just wake up.

Harold: Why early?

Louis T.: Well, because my mom and I usually dinner together every Thursday.

Harold: Oh.

Louis T.: I mean, I can ask her if you can come. Actually...

Harold: No it's okay, don't worry.

Louis T.: No seriously, I will. I want you to meet her.

Harold: It's okay if we don't see each other. Or if we only see each other for a bit.

Louis T.: Tell you what, come and pick me up when my shift on Forelsket it 's over and walk me to the antique shop.

Harold: I was already planning to do that.

Louis T.: Yes, but then my mother it's going to be there and you'll meet her. And she will invite you over.

Harold: What? She knows about me?

Louis T.: No, I mean--I haven't told her, but that's why she will invite you over. She likes to meet and know all of my friends.

Harold: So I'm a friend?

Louis T.: I don't think friends kiss each other and send nudes over Snapchat while masturbating and opening themselves.

Harold: For the record, you started it.

Louis T.: Because you suggested it last night!!!

Harold: Well, I obviously didn't know what I was getting myself into.

Louis T.: More like your fingers didn't know.

Harold: I'm blushing and getting hard.

Louis T.: Okay, I'll stop.

Harold: So?

Louis T.: So... you're not my friend.

Harold: Hello, my not-friend.

Louis T.: Okay I'm gotta go. Liam is here and he's not alone. The boss is here.

Harold: Goodbye my not-friend.

Louis T.: G'bye dork.

\-------------------------

 Minutes before noon, Louis can't get himself focus on one single thing. The thought of seeing Harry again is just too much. And Zayn notices it. And he may or not tease him for that. 

"You seriously look like a hyper baby hamster," Zayn says laughing, "Control yourself and sit down."

"I just can't," Louis says pacing around behind the counter, not really doing a thing. 

"It's just Harry," and well, Louis turns fast at that because he never thought Zayn would say a thing like that and Zayn notices him, "I mean, it's just your boyfriend," he says finally, "Nothing to worry about."

"Well, it happens my boyfriend it's going to meet my mom later," Louis says with big eyes, not really caring about the b word right now, "And it happens to be that my boyfriend is the great model Harry Styles," Louis sighs at that and finally, he sits down, "I don't know how my mom will react to that."

"Just try to be casual, like it's not a big deal," Zayn says to him seriously, "Jay won't notice how a big deal if you play it like that."

Except Harry is a big deal. At least for Louis. And not because he's a model or someone famous. But because he is Harry. His ... boyfriend?

"I still don't know if we are together," Louis says looking at the floor. 

But Zayn groans at that, "Don't be silly, of course you are!" Zayn says almost angry, "I wouldn't let someone, even you, stick their tongue inside my mouth for nothing," he says finally, with a little smirk at the end, "He is your boyfriend. You guys are together."

"What about Cara?" Louis says after a few seconds. By now, Zayn has told Louis all about Harry's  _flings_ and the gossips. And well, Zayn only happens to know a lot of that, so. 

"Well, people on Tumblr say they are not dating," Zayn says casually, not taking on mind Louis doesn't know what he's talking about, "They say it's just a PR stunt, because of the fame each other give to the other."

"So I don't have to worry?" Louis asks one more time, just to be sure. 

"Nope, just enjoy it mate," Zayn says honestly smiling, "And let him spoil you."

"I'm not doing that," Louis says, being serious. 

And when the clock strikes one o'clock, Harry is already out of the store, messaging Louis to come outside. 

The instant Louis receives the text, he takes his things and runs outside. It's a bit cliché, really, because he opens the door almost running and jumps into Harry's arms and Harry catches him and they are stupid, really, both of them laughing and smiling so big and when Louis decides to look Harry, his mouth instantly search for Harry's and they kiss. 

They kiss with such passion and urge, like they've been waiting all their lives for this. Only there's a moment when they remember they are doing it on public. And Harry is famous. And it almost hits them at the same time, because they stop and Harry takes Louis down. 

After a few short awkward seconds, Louis decides to speak, "Hi."

"Hi, love," Harry answers smiling fondly. He goes for Louis' hand and they start walking. 

"So how was your day?" Harry asks, mindlessly. 

"Well, Liam's dad came by, worried he left us for a long time without checking, just sending Liam--everything was fine though, so not bad," Louis says, "How about yours?"

"Well, you know, after last night," Harry says, his cheeks becoming a bit pink, "I was really tired so I stayed on bed until it was time to come for you."

"Shocking," Louis says sassily, still with a hint of fond on his voice. 

Louis only now notices Harry's hand is sweating and when he turns to look at him, he can clearly see Harry's nervous gaze. 

"What's the problem, Haz?" Louis says, stopping, making Harry stop too. 

"I'm--I know it's stupid, really--but like, I'm... nervous...ish?" Harry says not entirely sure, and Louis doesn't speak, waiting for Harry to continue, so with a sigh, Harry finally says, "About meeting your mom."

And well, Louis didn't expect that. 

"Oh love," Louis says laughing, "Don't worry about her! She's going to love you!" Louis says, trying to sound as convincing as he can, "And, you are a total charmer," Louis says nuding and winking, "So if I were you, I wouldn't worry."

"Easy for you to say," Harry says, looking at the floor, "You're not about to meet your boyfriend's mom."

And Harry doesn't notice what he said until he doesn't hear Louis answer. Louis is watching him, serious and all, looking at Harry with big eyes, not able to read him and, 

"I'm your... boyfriend?" Louis says so little, almost a whisper. 

And Harry doesn't hesitate, he nods the instant Louis answers, and he comes closer to Louis, grabbing him by his waist, "Yes," Harry says back, both of his hands gripping into Louis' waist, underneath his shirt, sking touching skin, "If, that's what you want as well, then yes," Harry says, leaning closer and closer, his lips touching Louis' everytime he speaks. 

"Haz," Louis inhales before going for another kiss, this time softer and delicate, not as rushed as the first one, and this time, they slowly fade into each other, merging into one until, 

"Ehemm," someone behind them says, a bit awkward to be honest, "Are you Harry Styles?"

They jump back instantly, both flushed and blushed from the kiss, Louis trying to hide himself, evading the other person while Harry tries to compose himself. 

"Ehmm, yeah, hi," he says awkwardly, turning to see a girl--teen--beside him, "Hello."

The girls smiles and does a little jump, "Hi, uhmm--I was wondering--could you please, uhmm take a photo with me?" she says shyly, still excited because duh, it's Harry Styles. 

"Of course love," Harry says trying to be nice, and he positions himself beside her, the girl trying to take out her phone with front camera and snap the picture. 

In his sight, he see Louis, trying to distract himself with an apparel of a near shop, trying to give Harry his space. 

Once the girl takes like, thirteen photos, she sighs and thanks Harry. 

"No problem," he says nicely, smiling. 

The girl nods and it's about to leave before, "Is that your boyfriend?" 

Harry frozes, caught off guard and obviously, his head it's not thinking because before he can say a thing, she speaks up again, "He is really handsome--like, really pretty. And petite. Perfect for you, I guess." 

Harry then nods and smiles, because, fuck you media and what they might say about his sexuality and the girls smiles, "Thanks again, enjoy your stay here in Cardiff!"

She leaves and the second Harry is left alone, he turns to look for Louis. 

He is still looking at the apparel, so Harry walks there to join him. He takes Louis by surprise, surrounding him with both of his arms around his torso, and even if Louis jumps of surprise, he knows it's him. 

"Hi love," Louis says, smiling, still not turning back to look at Harry. 

"Hey," Harry says on Louis' ear, really low and well--sexy. 

"Oh fuck," Louis hisses, "You should stop with that if you don't want a scene sex right here," Louis says, now turning to see Harry. 

"What if I want that," Harry says with a devil smirk, with his hands on Louis' waist, pressing their crotches together. 

"Stop it," Louis groans, already flushed. 

Leaning close to his ear again, Harry whispers seductively, "There's a dark alley over there."

"Oh shit," Louis exhales, "It's barely after noon, control yourself."

Harry steps back and laughs--really loud--and shakes his head, "I'm sorry babe," but he keeps laughing. 

"I hate you," Louis says like a little child, stomping his feet, "Just remember this, when revenge comes to you."

\-------------------------

They arrive to the antique shop a few minutes after that. They are not holding hands, but they are still really near beside each other. 

"Mom," Louis shouts when they enter the shop, "I'm here!"

Louis' mom, Jay, appears from the back of the store, with some old duvets on her arms, "Hey darling," she answers, coming to meet him. Only when she comes closer, she notices Harry, "Oh, hello," she says doubtful. 

"Mom," Louis says, trying to remember Zayn's words, "This is Harry, Harry, this is my mom, Jay."

"Hello ma'am," Harry says giving out his hand, "Nice to meet you."

Jay takes his hand with hers and shakes it, "Nice to meet you too, Harry," Jay says nicely, but still, he turns to look Louis. 

"Mom, uhmm--Harry it's here for a few days, just visiting and--well, I was wondering, if he could like, make us company tonight during dinner, you know?" Louis says, hoping his nervous didn't show that much. 

Jay keeps glancing both the boys, motions unreadable, before she speaks up, "Yeah, of course. You are welcome to joing us later Harry."

"Thank you ma'am," he says with a shy smile. 

"Please call me Jay," she says now truly smiling, "You make me feel old."

"Sorry ma--I mean, Jay," Harry says, mentally slapping himself. 

"Well, I'll go back to keep folding these duvets, I'll see you tonight Harry," Jay says before leaving them alone. 

Harry finally exhales, only now noticing he was keeping air, "She didn't sound so convinced," he says low, a bit sad. 

"What? You kidding me?" Louis says turning to cup Harry's cheeks between his hands, "Babe, that was great! Beside, it was barely a minute! She's going to love you tonight, promise!"

"Not really sure Lou," he says still looking at the floor, even if Louis' hands are trying to make him look at him. 

"Babe please," Louis urges, making finally him to see him, "Everything is going to be alright," he whispers to him, "Just trust me, okay?" he says, going for a quick kiss on the lips. 

Harry finally nods, and sighs again. 

"Tell you what," Louis says, "Why don't you bring some dessert tonight, yeah? Buy whatever you want, yeah?"

Harry shakes his head and then, "I'm going to bake it myself."

"What? You know how to bake?" Louis sounds shocked and incredulous. 

"Why do you sound to surprised? I worked in a bakery back when I wasn't famous," he says, taking pride on it, "I actually was a great one."

Louis giggles at that--he actually does--and shakes his head, "Well, bad thing you don't have an oven at your suite."

"Oh, never underestimate me, love," Harry says and his mind starts to work at that, "In fact, I better go and start planning what I should do for tonight."

Louis laughs this time and nods, "Right, whatever you say love, see you tonight."

"See you," he replies, giving Louis a quick kiss on his cheek, "And prepare to be surprised by my skills."

Louis is left alone laughing with a hint of fond and shaking his head when Harry steps out of the antique shop. 

 


	12. always found my greatest moment in the sounds of your hello's

_"Right, whatever you say love, see you tonight."_

_Harry shakes his head at that, with a little smirk on his lips, "See you," he replies, giving Louis a quick kiss on his cheek, "And prepare to be surprised by my skills."_

_Louis is left alone laughing with a hint of fond and shaking his head when Harry steps out of the antique shop._

"Louis!" he hears the moment Harry leaves the shop.

He slowly turns, knowing what is to come.

"Yes mom?" he answers sweetly, trying to act all good now.

"Come here, sweety," she says from the back of the store, not shouting but surely with strong voice.

"You wanted to see me mom?" he says from the door of the little warehouse they have behind, watching her mom arranging some boxes on the shelves at the back.

"Yes dear," she says before turning to see her son, leaning on the door frame, "Now, spill it out."

"Wh-what are you talking about mom?" Shit. He sounds nervous. Shit.

"Louis Tomlinson, don't play fool with me," Jay says, still not fully angry.

Louis looks at her and damn. Okay, maybe it's true about that sixth sense that mothers have. Louis can almost see now how his mother is watching him closely and the way her eyes are scanning him completly.

Louis sighs, before speaking up, "He is Harry Styles, uhmm--we met, through the internet?"

Jay is waiting so Louis continues, "He sent an e-mail to my adress, obviously by mistake and, well, that started all, honestly."

"Keep going," Jay says, once again arranging some boxes but still paying attention to Louis.

"And," Louis says before pausing to choose correctly his words, "I met him, against all odds, we finally met--and I have been hanging out with him all week now and--,"

"And you like him," Jay says finally turning to see Louis directly in the eye.

"I--I'm not sure," Louis tries to lie but Jay inmediatly give him the  _seriously_? look so confesses, "I like him. A lot."

Jay smiles at that, stepping closer to her son and hugs him quickly, patting him in the back, "That's good love, that's perfectly good!"

"So you're not mad?" Louis asks a bit unsure.

"Of course not love," she says smiling now, "It's good you found someone here that could make you smile," and oh shit.

Louis haven't told her Harry is not from Cardiff. Not even that he was kind of (okay, maybe a lot) famous. Shit shit shit.

"Yeah it's incredible," Louis tries to lie, not wanting the bubble of happiness to burst.  _Just yet._

"And here I thought you would end up with Zayn," Jay says and Louis instantly laughs at that because,  _oh irony_. And to think Zayn thought he would end up with Harry.

"Mom, I'm not even sure if we are boyfriends," Louis says, a bit embarrases of himself.

"Well, I don't think friends look at each other like that, darling," she says with a little smile on her face, "Honestly, those were the kind of hidden smiles your father and I used to share."

Louis freezes at that, because he thinks--if his memory it's not failing--that this is the first time she says something about his father that way, like a proper honest good thing?

"Hidden smiles?" he asks, curious about the whole thing.

"Yeah," Jay says still out, "He and I would walk around the office smiling to each other and stealing glances every time we could."

Louis nods, not really sure what to do with the new information and he sighs, "Well, thanks for understanding mom. Harry is really special to me," he says and

His mother finally snaps back to reality, nodding and smiling, "Don't worry love. I won't be harsh on him."

Louis nods with a light smile at that and let his mother return to her abouts.

Is it bad that Louis didn't tell her that Harry is kind of famous? Okay, entirely famous as a model.

But Louis was so scared his mother could say something... and you know, she's kind of picky and stuff, so Louis thought that maybe--just this time--a little white lie couldn't hurt so much, right?

He decide for that, because honestly it was the best for now, so he drop the subject and decided to not worry until dinner time arrive.

\-------------------------

Sure, being Harry Styles has it's advantages. Like asking for the hotel to borrow their kitchen, because of course it's only proper to bake something by yourself the first time you go to your boyfriend's house.

And well, when the Better Than Sex is done, he is ready to go up to his room so he can get ready for tonight.

Except, he has no clothes. At least no proper clothes. Or that's what he thinks. Because obviously, even when he thinks he looks good with black skinny jeans and a opened button-up shirt, well maybe that's not enough for Louis' mum.

So, he decides to go out and go shopping. Maybe he can even find a Saint Laurent shop here and everything will be resolved.

Thing is, there's not a Saint Laurent shop near so he has to settle for several random clothing stores that are near the hotel so he doesn't waste any more time.

A new pair of boots, that's for sure, because the ones he has are about to give their last breathe. Maybe a decent shirt, baby blue or even beige, trying to make sure it's comfortable enough so he doesn't wear it all opened showing his chest. Maybe a blazer? God, he doesn't want to seem  all posh. Something more casual? Maybe something like good boy?

This is certainly something difficult.

Harry is still looking through some clothes, deciding over two jakcets, a green one and a blue one, very casual but with the right message he wanted to give out, when a few girls spot him, and started squealing.

Harry notices, so he smiles to them--always being nice and such--and they adventure themselves to come closer and ask for a few photos. Harry agrees, because well, he loves his fans, okay? And besides, just a couple of photos while shopping couldn't hurt that much, right?

"I can't believe you're here," one of the girls says, opening the camera of her phone, decided to take some photos of Harry alone, "What are you even doing here? I thought you and you're sister were in Paris?"

Ah right. It makes sense that if Gemma was spotted in Paris a few times, then Harry should be with her. But Harry was in Cardiff. Without Gemma, and without an explanation that didn't involve Louis.

"Uhmm--well, I--I wanted sometime for myself and I read somewhere--like the internet, that Caridff was cool, so I decided to come," Harry tries to explain, sounding as convinced as he could.

"Well, that's just amazing, really," another girls speaks up, and with an honest smile, she keeps taking photos of Harry.

"I saw some pictures of you yesterday, entering the Forelsket shop, down at the bay," one of them says, smile and everything, "I almost panicked because sometimes I shop there and I was like,  _what are the odds?_  right?" she finishes, all hyper and squealing.

Harry nods at that, not really processing what the girls said, but just nodding and smiling. When the girls were done, finally happy about their photos, they left, leaving Harry alone again. And that's when it hits him. There were photos. Of him. Entering Forelsket.

What if they had photos of Louis too? What if they had photos of Louis and Harry? He remembers the girl that saw them kissing, but right... that was just today, right? God, Harry has been reckless and even if he didn't cared about the media so much, maybe Louis wouldn't like the idea of photos of him all over the internet. Stupid and reckless.

Once he had everything he needed, he goes back to the hotel. A good long shower and proper hair products to look perfect tonight, with extra care and all. Hey... he is a model, he cares for his appearance and he is not ashamed of that, okay?

And when he is finally out of the shower, it's seven o'clock. The cake is settled on the table of the little longue of his suite, in a fancy pinkish box, with a mint bow and he smiles to himself. Oh yes, being Harry Styles has it's perks.

He starts to get dressed and sure, normal blue jeans feel different but whatever. Everything for Louis, right? A denim button-up shirt and the green jacket over that one, with a blue beanie. Once his hair dried, he could take off his beanie.

\-------------------------

WhatsApp

Thursday - July 18 2013 - 7:47 pm

Louis T.: Hey love, I'm just closing the shop. Mom left earlier to prepare dinner. I won't take too long to arrive home. So maybe 8:10-ish? xx.

Harold: Of course Lou, don't worry xx.

Louis T.: Told my mom everything about you, btw.

Harold: Everything as...?

Louis T.: Everything as I'm in love with you and I've been hanging out with you this week. She thought I was just acting weird.

Harold: Oh god, what did she say?

Louis T.: She's totally okay with it!! She's happy for me and she wished us the best. So with that, now I can kiss you in front of her.

Harold: Right, but only PG kisses, right?

Louis T.: God, Harold, you're always making everything R rated.

Harold: Well, it's not my fault you have those thin delicious lips to die for. And ... well, other really great, incredible, big things.

Louis T.: I don't know if you are talking about my penis or my ass. Maybe both.

Louis T.: Okay, I'm going to take it as both.

Harold: Hehehe

Louis T.: Sometimes you're a bit embarrasing.

Harold: Those times it's almost your fault I'm that way.

Louis T.: True that.

Harold: I'm on my way, see you there xx.

Louis T.: I'll be waiting xx :)

\-------------------------

Harry is all ready now. Cake on hand, phone in his pocket, wallet inside his other pocket. Key room inside his jacket's pocket.

He is ready for tonight! Except... except when he gets to the lobby, there's a mass of paps outside the hotel and he frozes at the sight of them.

"Mr. Styles," the manager reaches him, a bit worried and exhausted, "I'm so sorry, I called the cops but the paps just won't leave," he says, a bit exasperated.

So the media found him. He should have been subtle. He needs to tell Louis about this. This involves him too. He needs--to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Hey, it's okay," Harry says giving a small smile, "Is there a way I can get out without them noticing?"

"Oh yeah," the manager says, looking more relieved, "There's a door near the lifts, which takes you to the back of the hotel, where all the maids and workers enter," he says, giving his back to the paps outside the hotel, looking the scene through the glass doors, "I'll ask someone to help you there, now go."

With that, Harry smiles and leave the scene, the paps already shouting for him to come back. The manager comes closer to the doors and mouths very loud, "He's going back to his room!"

Clever, Harry thinks.

He subtly walks towards the mentioned door and he even motions like pressing the lift button, but of course he doesn't because he just turned the handle of the door and opens it.

It's a dark hallway with just a few lights; he starts walking before he sees a girl--probably a maid--and she smiles to him, "This way Mr. Styles," she says, walking down the hallway and Harry following right behind.

There's a few doors in the hallway but the maid doesn't stop until the very end, pushing a door and revealing a room where there's lockers and a few tables with chairs there along with a coffee maker.

"Over there," the girl says motioning towards another door, "There's a guard and like, the security system, he will help you out of here," she says before giving him a little smile.

"Thank you so much," Harry says, already taking out a few bills but when the girl sees Harry's intentions, she stops him.

"There's no need for that," she says, and without anything else, the turns back and disappears.

Well, maybe there's still good people on this planet.

\-------------------------

Louis is running around the house like crazy; he doesn't know what he's going to wear yet, a simple white shirt and only on his briefs, running from his room to the bathroom, styling his hair--or trying to, really--and brushing his teeth and looking at the different outfits and making sure his mom is already ready--Jay may or not may be making fun of Louis because of his hysteria.

And when the bell rings, Louis can swear he felt his heart skip a beat. He quickly chooses whatever he sees first and tries not to mess with his hair.

He's putting on his white vans--seriously, is this too casual?--and he can hear Harry's voice along with his mother's. He should probably get down as fast as he can.

Finally done, he's downstairs, following the sound to the kitchen, and then he sees Harry, sitting on one of the chairs of the kitchen, Jay still doing some stuff over the stove.

"Hi," Louis speaks up, maybe interrupting them, he didn't even remembers if they were talking, to inmersed on Harry's featues while he was talking with his mother.

Harry turns to see him, a smile spreading through his face the moment he sees Louis. And wow, isn't that kind of beauty supposed to belong on museums? Louis swears those dimples could be way better than the Grand Canyon. God, Louis wants to poke them so much.

"Hey," Harry says standing up, coming closer to Louis but there's a slightly hesitation on his steps--he may be thinking about Jay and how much does she knows--but Louis closes the space and small, quick peck on his lips.

"M' over here guys," Jay says but Louis knows she's smiling even when she's not facing them.

"Sorry," Harry says with a faint tint of pink on his cheeks.

Louis giggles and shakes his head--of coruse her mother would be teasing them all night long. Nothing new there.

Jay orders them to put up the table while she finishes all on the kitchen.

"She's amazing," Harry says, already on the dining room.

"Yeah," Louis says looking towards him, "She really likes you."

"Really?" Harry says a bit excited about it.

"Yeah, but like--she doesn't know you're... famous?"

"Oh," Harry says, taken by surprise, "It's fine though, I mean--I understand she doesn't recognize me, I'm not that famous."

"Oh shut up, you are!!" Louis says giving Harry a little punch on Harry's arm, "Besides, it's only because she's not into that kind of stuff."

"Anyway," Harry brushes it off and sighs, "So you didn't tell her?"

"No--I mean not yet, until, you know, I want her to get to know you first, like--only  _Harry Styles_ , without  _the famous model_."

Harry thinks about it for a few seconds before he nods and understands. Maybe because that's what he has wanted all this time, to meet someone and judge only because of what he really is, before judging only the fame and money. And with Louis now--and his mum--it's now possible and even if it's something Harry has wanted and craving for, to be honest, he is a bit scared of what could happen once his mom finds out he's famous.

 Harry nods again and gives him an honest smile, "Okay."

Just then, Jay appears from the kitchen with a big caserole in her hands, which by the way, smells delicious.

"Food is ready boys," she says smiling, "Take a sit and I'll be right back."

The obey instantly and in no more than ten seconds, Jay is back with a bottle of white wine.

"What is that mom?" Louis asks with an incredulous look on his face. His mom never ever drinks alcohol.

"Well darling, since Harry is such a special guest and you know, white wine goes well with chicken, I thought it would be perfect," she says smiling, opening the bottle.

Harry hums and smiles but Louis is still doubtful.

And when Jay starts serving--well well, look at what they have there.

Chicken wrapped in parma ham stuffed with mozarella cheese with some homemade mash on the side.

A warm fizzy spark runs up on Harry's spine when he smells it. And he instantly smiles at it. So delicious.

"Mom," Louis says almost surprised by all the changes, "This--this looks absolutely delicious!!"

"Thanks love," Jay says smiling, "I know it's not lasagna but--,"

"No, no mom," Louis says interrupting her, "This is just--perfect."

Harry doesn't want to talk—he feels like an outsider to be honest—so he just smiles at the scene.

"Okay okay, stop it already," Jay says after a few seconds of debating with her son, "You should start eating before it gets cold. Enjoy it."

So they start eating. And it's a nice quiet dinner actually, with such a delicious meal there, and yeah, Jay asks a few things to Harry, but he's careful enough to not spill so much about his life and he is nice and everything goes well.

There's a few jokes here and there, and Harry only keeps telling jokes because Louis' laugh is the most precious thing he has ever heard, even if Louis covers his mouth everytime he does it, well whatever really, because he looks so so cute doing it.

"Do you have enough space for a little dessert boys?" Jay asks a few minutes after they are all done with the meal and they are just chatting, "To be honest, I really want to try out the cake Harry brought."

"Sure sure mom," Louis says smiling, "Bring it on!"

Harry nods along him, so drunk of Louis—is that really possible?—so he just agrees.

Jay goes to the kitchen for it and a couple of little plates along with a knife and then come back to the dining room.

"It looks so delicious Harry," Jay says looking at the cake, "How did you say it was called?"

Harry freezes at that, and almost instantly blushes because well—he can't say BETTER THAN SEX, for Christ sakes.

"Uhmm—,"

"Better Than Sex, mom," Louis says and well...

"Oh," Jay says, wide eyes opened and after a few seconds, she starts laughing, "Well, it's a great name certainly, because it does look better than—well, that."

And they both laugh with her. And it's almost perfect. Harry almost thinks this could not be any better until—

Harry's phone starts ringing.

"Uhmmm," Harry hums taking out his phone and—oh it's only Gemma.

"I have to take this," Harry says politely, "Excuse me."

"Of course darling," Jay says nodding.

Harry goes to the living room, and answers the call.

"Gemma?"

"Hey prick," Gemma answers back on the other line, "How are you? How's Cardiff? Everything chill?"

"Oh, well, yeah I guess—,"

"Well, you better enjoy it before it gets messy," Gemma says interrupting him.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asks with furrowed brows.

"Well, the office has been busy enough to cover up with your secret escape, but everything blew off this afternoon when a couple of girls uploaded some pictures to Tumblr and the team on the office didn't noticed until a few hours later and well—cause it's going around all over the internet right now."

Harry instantly remembers the girls that day—they were just a few photos with him and a few autographs.

"What's the matter with the photos? It's just me and the girls," Harry says.

"Oh dear Harry," Gemma says sighing, "You don't know what photos I'm talking about, right?"

Haryr tries to remember—really, really hard—until it hits him like a wrecking ball (oopsie).

"Louis and me," he blurs out, really low but Gemma catches it.

"Yeah babe," she says, almost apologetic, "And I know you can handle this kind of stuff, really, I trust you, but—please, warn him and protect him? I can be almost sure he doesn't know how to react so," Gemma says.

"Yeah, yeah," Harry says not able to say more about it, his mind working a mile per second.

"And Karl saw it," Gemma says finally, "But he's not mad. He thinks this could be actually good as prop for the line and everything so," Gemma says, clearly not that sure, "He said he will call you tomorrow morning."

"Okay," Harry says, his voice sounding exhausted. 

 "Haz," Gemma sounds concerned, not like _I'm your boss this is bad for you_ , but more like,  _Oh dear little brother_ , "Please be careful, now paparazzis will be everywhere to find you and Louis, and he—you should definitely talk with him."

"Yes Gemma, I will," Harry answers defeated, "I have to go, I'm actually on his house, you know, dinner with his mom and everything," Harry says turning to see the door of the dining room, a few sounds coming from there. 

"Oh," Gemma says surprised, "Well, greet them for me, will you? And be careful bro," she says before blowing a kiss into the phone and hanging up, just after Harry says goodbye. 

_Paparazzis will be everywhere._

God, Harry is damned. He needs to talk to Louis. 

When he comes back to the dining, Jay and Louis are already eating—maybe their second slice—of the cake and in front of them, there's a cuppa. There's also one for Harry. 

"Made you tea," Louis says smiling, "Thought it would be perfect for the sweetness of the cake."

"Thanks love," Harry says without noticing but then he turns to see Jay watching them fondly with a little smile on her face. 

"Well, it's been a wonderful evening boys," Jay says standing up from her chair with the cuppa, "But I need to rest so, I'm going to my room."

"Thank you mom for the dinner, it was amazing," Louis says standing up and goes to kiss her on the cheek, "Thanks for everything."

Harry stands up as well, and goes to Jay, "Thank you Jay, for the lovely dinner, and for giving me an opportunity," Harry says with a serious tone, "I can promise you, I'll take good care of your son."

Jay nods smiling, "I'm already counting on it," she says before giving a short hug to Harry, "Don't stay up too late, yeah? Louis, you have work tomorrow."

Louis groans at that, "Yeah yeah," he says lazily. 

Harry giggles and Jay smiles one more time, before she goes. 

"I'm seriously reconsidering lasagna as my favourite dish," Louis says, sitting down again and taking his fork, "The chicken today was brilliant!" he says while taking another piece of cake, "As well as your cake," he says eating it, "I can't believe it you actually baked it."

"Well, I wanted to do it for today so," Harry says smiling, sitting beside him, "Wanted it to be special for you."

Louis turns to see him, smiling and cupping Harry's cheek with one of his hands, "You're so lovely to me."

"It's only because I love you," Harry says, putting his hand above Louis', "And I mean it. I would never do something to hurt you. I will forever protect you and—,"

"Just shut up already and kiss me you fool," Louis says leaning closer, making their lips to meet, with that electricity still running through their bodies like their first time, sending sparks and fireworks all over their body. 

"We should—I should, really go," Harry says breaking the kiss, "You should rest," he says, both of their faces still close, breathing each other air. 

"I don't want to rest," Louis whispers back, with a whiny voice that Harry is almost sure is melting his heart, "I want to be with you."

"What if," Harry says, still thinking about Gemma's call, "You skip work tomorrow, tell Zayn to be nice and cover for you, and we, will actually do a little road trip," he says finally, the plan not entirely planned out, but it's out there before he can take it back, "Let's escape for a while, just you and me."

Louis straights himself, looking a Harry with surprise, "Yes!" he says, "Let's do it!"

"Shhh," Harry says putting a finger on Louis'  _oh so fine and pretty_  lips, "It will be out secret."

"Are you implying my mother can't now about it?" Louis says furrowing his eyebrows. 

"She will know," Harry says, "But she's resting now so we will tell her tomorrow morning."

"You fucker," Louis blurs out, "You mean I will tell her because you won't be here."

"No," Harry says shaking his head, smiling, "I will actually come here early in the morning and pick you up, then I'll ask for permission to your mother. I'm not a coward."

_Well, maybe he is if he is trying to run from the paparazzis with this._

"Okay then," Louis says giggling, "A true gentleman."

"Of course," Harry says offended, "I can't believe you actually believed I was going to leave you alone in this. I told you, I'm here to protect you."

"You are so sappy sometimes I want to vomit all the cuteness," Louis says before kissing Harry again.  


	13. waiting for the hint of a spark

\-------------------------

Harry Styles dating a boy? READ ALL ABOUT IT

\-------------------------

Styles and Delevingne broke up? Styles has already a boy-toy!

\-------------------------

Harry Styles seen on Cardiff - what is he doing there?

\-------------------------

Karl Lagerfeld and Gemma Styles: Seen on Paris while baby brother Harry is enjoying Cardiff!

\-------------------------

Multiple fans spotted our boy Harry Styles with—PREPARE—another boy?

\-------------------------

The next morning, Harry wakes up with several notifications on his phone. Which he erases all without a second look. It's almost 7am and he has to get up and get ready. 

Oh yes, he's going on a road trip with his lovely Louis. 

He manages to get out of bed only to get in the shower. The hot water splashes against his ivory skin, making him groan. Sure, the bed and the room are all perfect, but nothing compares to the comfort of being on his own bed. 

He may or not may take care of himself during the shower—that's what happens when you got to see Louis' bum a lot—so he takes more than he should. 

Once he's out, he takes his phone to dismiss all the new notifications, but he stops when he sees a missed call. From Karl Lagerfeld. 

Harry sits down on his bed, still naked with only a towel around his waist, and he calls back to Karl, waiting with anxiety while the phone keeps ringing. 

"Oh, Harry," Karl answers after a few seconds, "Are you busy now?"

Not even a hello. Okay. 

"No—no, just finished showering," Harry answers back, nervous as hell. 

"Is  _he_  there?" Karl asks inmediatly. 

Harry frowns; the way Karl said  _he_  was not something Harry wanted to hear again. He knows Karl is like, almost a God to the design industry, but—but it's Louis. It's not  _he_. It's his Louis. 

The way Harry almost thinks defensive of him scares him a bit. 

"Louis," Harry says a bit harsh, "And no, he's not here."

"Oh well," Karl says and Harry can almost hear a playful smirk from him. 

"So," Harry says, trying to sound more relaxed, "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk about him, actually," Karl says, "Louis I mean," he corrects quickly. 

"Yeah, Gemma told me yesterday," Harry says before thinking. He's not even sure if he was allowed to say that, he's not sure if Gemma was able to share information like that. 

"Well," Karl says, ignoring Harry's answer, "Talk to me about him. Everything."

"Uhhh," Harry hums for a few seconds, not sure what to say. Not even sure if he has to say something to him. It's only Karl. Karl Lagerfeld. Exactly. 

"What does this have to do with you?" Harry asks dubious. 

"Well, propaganda and marketing it's all to me," Karl says like it's what he prays everyday, "And not to mention the image of my models. Cara should have say a thing or two about it."

Now that Harry remembers, Cara did say something. She was worried that time because she didn't know if she was even allowed to tattoo herself. Apparently, BACON and LONDON is something that should go on your feet. He remembers how Cara was worried even when Karl accepted the deal, because now media was going to judge her. A model with tattoos? God forbid her. 

"Yeah, she said something," Harry trails off. 

"Well, now tell me," Karl says, "Tell me about you and him, so I know what to expect."

Harry takes in the question and thinks for a few seconds. Harry and Louis. What's the deal again? 

"Well, I—I just, uhmm, like him?" Harry says not sure. No. He doesn't just like him. He craves for his touch. He loves his smile. The spark in his eyes whenever Harry says something funny—or not. The way he tip toes in order to meet Harry's lips. His tiny hands and how they fit on Harry's. The salty smell of his hair because of the large amount of time he spends next to the beach. 

"You're not sure?" Karl asks. 

"No—yes—I mean, yes I'm sure," Harry says shaking his head, "It's just—I don't know where we stand right now."

"I see then," Karl says, with no emotion whatsoever, "This is what we are going to do; don't run away from paps or people. I want them to see you with him. It will be good promo and, good for your image. Famous model out with unknown boy."

Harry is not liking this. Of course he's not going to put Louis through that. He already saw what happened in the restaurant when the paps were waiting outside. But, he couldn't say no to Karl. He couldn't. 

"Okay," Harry says.  _He could lie, though._

"Perfect then!" Karl says, "And don't hesitate with me, boy. I know how hard it is to be gay on this industry."

Right. Only Karl was internationally recognized and loved by so many prestigious people. Harry wasn't. 

"Okay," Harry says again. 

"Well, I'll keep looking at the tabs then," Karl says teasingly, "Take care and enjoy your boy."

Harry hangs up, not even saying goodbye. He throws the phone, not even caring, all boiled up. 

This is not fucking fair. 

Karl was almost playing with Harry's brain. Isn't that against the rules? Of course not. In this industry, no. This is fucking unfair. And Harry is not going to play by the rules. He will protect Louis at all costs. 

When he finally manages to stand up from the bed, all calmed down, he starts dressing himself. 

He takes one of his bags—one of the many he took there in the first place—and started throwing a bunch of clothes there. 

It's almost time to go, so he takes one of his beanies and put it on his head, instead of styling his hair. 

Thankfully, there's no paps yet outside the hotel, so he can walk all the way to the nearest place to rent a car. Maybe something not so pretentious. After that, he goes to Louis' house without problems. 

Once he's there, he decides to text Louis instead of ringing the bell.

\-------------------------

WhatsApp

Friday - July 19 2013 - 7:21 am

Harold: I'm outside! xx

Louis T.: Why don't you ring the bell, weirdo?

Harold: I don't want to wake up your mom. 

Louis T.: She's already awake. She always wakes up even before the sun is out. 

Harold: Just come out. 

Louis T.: Ouch, high school memories all over again. 

Harold: Louis... 

Louis T.: You promised you will be the one telling my mom I'm going away with you. 

Harold: Not away, just a little road trip. 

Louis T.: Ring the bell!

Harold: Alright.

\-------------------------

Harry walks to the door, leaving his bag on the black Porsche he rented—okay so maybe something a bit pretentious—and decides to ring the bell once he's in front of the door. 

He waits a few seconds before Jay it's opening the door, still in her pj's, with a cuppa on hand. 

"Harry!" she says, with notorious excitment, quickly replaced by, "What are you doing here?"

"Good morning," he still thinks it's a bit informal to call Louis' mum by her name, so he tries to avoid it, "I'm here—actually, I'm here to ask you a question—to ask for permission—errr," Harry stops for a while to compose himself. 

He coughs awkwardly while Jay is waiting on the door. Only then she realizes. 

"Oh how rude of me," she says, stepping aside, "Please come in!"

Harry nods and accepts, entering the house that somehow seems familiar now. 

_IT'S BEEN ONLY A DAY FOR CHRIST SAKES._

"Come, sit with me in the kitchen," Jay says motioning him, "What was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Harry sits, watching Jay making another cuppa, probably for him—she was just as kind and nice as her son. 

"Uhmm—I wanted to ask you, if I could take Louis—uhmm, like in a little road trip..ish?" Harry barely finishes, nerves exploting inside of him. 

"A road trip?" Jay says like it's nothing, "Today?" 

Just then, Louis decides to finally come down to the kitchen. 

"Is that for me?" Louis says pointing at the cuppa. 

"Of course not, it's for Harry, do your own one," Jay says smacking Louis' hand away. 

"I'm already being replaced by you in this house," Louis says to Harry, taking another mug from the shelf. 

Harry chuckles at that and shakes his head. 

"So a road trip, then?" Jay says looking at both boys, Louis clearly tenses up, but he tries to shake it off,  "What about work?"

Louis turns back slowly, cuppa already filled on both his hands, sipping slowly; he only hums. Bastard wants Harry to answer. 

"Well, Zayn is taking care of it, as well as Liam," Harry says, deciding Liam will be much more likely responsible on Jay's eyes than lazy Zaynie. 

Jay nods, thinking about it. Louis is still sipping tea standing up, faw away on the counter. 

"Okay then," she says smiling lightly, "But take care boys. I don't know why but there's a lot of movement lately on the city and I don't want you guys to get in trouble."

Oh well. 

"Thank you lovely mother!" Louis says all of the sudden, jumping to hug her from behind, "You're the best!"

Harry laughs with fond at him, and Harry is only staring at the scene. Okay, maybe he misses his own mother. But it's been ages since he last saw her. And she never made any effort to reach, get in touch with him, or Gemma. 

"I'm going to take down my things!" Louis says, jumping all the way over to Harry, to kiss him on the cheek. 

It takes Harry by surprise, and he can't help but blushed a bit, noticing Jay's smile. 

"What? Your things? Did you already know I was going to say yes?" Jay shouts, wanting to sound like a strict mother. 

"Can't hear you lovely adorable mother!!" Louis shouts back. 

"You are brave if you think you can handle Louis in a long trip," Jay says, taking her cuppa.

"Well, it's going to be just like three hours of driving," Harry says, shrugging. 

"Well, good luck with that," Jay says winking. 

Louis returns quickly, with a bag full of his stuff and his aviators on, "I'm ready!"

Harry opens his mouth at the sight, watching Louis like that, just wow. 

Louis is wearing a strong green t-shirt, denim jeans and a red and black snapback—and his aviators of course. 

"Ya ready?" Louis asks with a honest smile on his face. 

"Oh you child of mine," Jay says shaking his head, "Always getting away with everything you want."

And Harry could only nod at that. It was Louis Tomlinson, of course he always gets away with whatever he wants. 

"Okay mother, we're leaving," Louis says coming closer to her, giving her a quick hug and a short kiss on her cheek. She returns the hug as well, with a few pats on his back and a kiss on his forehead. 

"Thank you, Jay," Harry says at last, smiling and extending his hand, but Jay embraces him in a full hug as well. 

"Take care of him," she whispers on his ear. And Harry frozes, just for a few seconds, remembering Karl's call and what he said. 

Harry gives her a little nod, not wanting Louis to notice. 

"Well," Jay says stepping back, "Go now before I change my mind."

And Louis almost turns his back running to the door. Harry laughs at that and shakes his head, and for the last time, he turns back to see Jay and give her a reassuring smile. Of course he will take care of Louis. 

And when Louis goes out of the house, he frozes at the sight of the Porsche. 

"What the—,"

"I needed something fast," Harry says, taking the car keys out of his impossible tight pocket, "And something classy."

"Surely a simple car, wasn't enough for model Harry Styles," Louis says, smirking and getting on the car. Black, beautiful Porsche. 

"I only wanted you to be as comfortable as you could," Harry says, looking at Louis. 

"Shut up and drive already," Louis says, hitting him on his thigh.

And Harry does, he starts the engine and starts driving. And it all seemed a bit easy at the beginning until,

"Where are we going?" Louis asks just after sixteen minutes had passed. Harry is still driving inside the city. Boy, he could not deal with surprises, couldn't he?

"Don't know if I should tell you," Harry says teasingly, with a little smirk.

"Harold," Louis says, turning completly to him, "You must know I don't like surprises. So tell me now or you will suffer all way long."

"Me? How am I supposed to suffer when I know where are we going?" Harry asks. And oh boy, he shouldn't. 

Louis suddenly leans closer to Harry, invading his personal space—and let's please not forget Harry is still driving—and Louis, he takes his snapback off, but no the aviators, those stay. And he, leans closer to Harry's neck, just under the earlobe, his lips almost touching skin, and one of his hands, of Louis' hands, it's travelling all the way from Harry's knee, to his, well, crotch area, squeezing his thighs. 

And it's sending sparks and fireworks all over Harry, down his spine and he's sure something is happening in his stomach. And with Louis' hand so near—so fucking near, touching and pressing—he knows something else might explode as well if Louis doesn't stop, like asap. 

"Louis," Harry groans, not voluntarily, but caused because of the moment, "I'll tell you okay—I'll, I'll—fucking tell you, just plea—please stop," Harry says, hands tight against the wheel. 

Harry feels a quick kiss on his neck then, along with Louis' winning smile, "Okay, tell me now," the smug bastard says from his place. 

Harry turns back to look at him, but with aviators on, he can't tell if Louis' was affected as much as he was. Sure, he had a big playful smirk on, but Harry can't surely look now at his crotch area and he can't see his eyes either. Well. 

"To Wolverhampton," Harry says finally, "We are going to Wolverhampton."

"What?" Louis says looking back, smirk gone, "What the hell? What's there? I feel betrayed! I thought we were going to go somewhere fun!"

Harry laughs at that, because  _Oh, little naïve Louis_ , and yeah, Wolverhampton was only the first necessary stop. 

"It's the nearest big city and it's only three hours away," Harry says, smiling because Louis' reaction. 

"You know what? I'm going to sleep because I feel dissapointed," Louis says, still mad at Harry. Of course, everything is a joke. Or Harry hopes that. 

"Okay, sleep for a while love," Harry says, taking Louis' tiny hand on his, taking it to his lips, kissing gently his knuckles. 

Louis doesn't do a thing, but only stare the act, and when Harry looks to Louis after the small kiss on his knuckles, Louis smiles fondly at him, "Thanks babe."

And in no time, Louis is quietly snoring and it's almost not audible, but Harry makes sure to turn off the music, and let the sound of Louis to guide him through the road. 

\-------------------------

After three hours and forty minutes, they arrive to Wolverhampton. Harry parks the car outside the little hotel—nothing great and big this time—and he sighs. Finally.

Louis is still asleep—not once did he wake up—so now Harry has to deal with waking him up.

"Lou," Harry shakes him a bit, "We're here."

"Hmmp?" Louis says, stirring in his spot.

Harry almost feel the necessity to kiss him, looking so angelical there, so peaceful, so beautiful.

"We're here babe," Harry says again, very near Louis' face, almost whispering into his cheek.

"Piss off," Louis answers quietly, "Let me sleep."

"Babe, it's almost noon," Harry says chuckling, "You have to wake up."

Louis groans and decides to open his eyes, a little frown on his face, "You know, you will have to treat me with a great meal after this."

"I'm already counting on that," Harry says smiling.

They take the bags out of the trunk and they walk to the lobby to check in and in no time, they are in their room. 

"It's really nice," Louis says, inmediatly lying on the bed.

Harry enters the room, carrying the bags—all by himself—and even before taking in the room itself, he sees Louis in bed, all spread out, his face against the matress and oh—okay bad thoughts. 

"Only the best for you," Harry says, trying to recover himself, leaving the bags beside the door—Louis offered his help, but Harry denied it, okay?—and he decides to lie beside Louis. 

They stay like that for a couple of minutes, but then Harry breaks the silence. 

"I just want you to know," Harry says, sighing before continuining, "That you are very important for me, yeah? That—that I would do anything for you."

"Yeah?" Louis whispers from beside, turning to see him, still lying in bed, all sleepy and beautiful, battling his eyelashes. 

Harry gulps at the view, before answering, "Yeah, I—I really care for you," Harry says, not aware that he's getting closer to Louis. 

"Good," Louis says, leaning closer to Harry, teasing the poor guy with his sweet scent and his cheeky smile. 

"God I want to kiss you so badly," Harry says with closed eyes, inhaling Louis' smell, their noses almost touching. 

"Why don't you?" Louis says, leaning even more close, every time he speaks, brushing Harry's lips. 

"Because I won't stop there," Harry says, voice deeper, "Kissing it's only going to be the beginning."

Louis tenses up for a few seconds, but he is the one to close the gap and kiss Harry. 

At first it's sweet, and well, almost innocent, tasting and lasting, really sensing each other. Louis is all soft at first, cupping Harry's face and Harry has his hands in Louis' waist, playing with the hem of his t-shirt—not even pressing just, lingering there.

But then Harry bits Louis' bottom lip, making Louis to open his mouth, only for Harry to get in, fully. Harry now is gripping Louis' waist under his t-shirt, tracing with his thumb Louis' hipbones. Louis' hands are now on Harry's neck, pulling him closer and closer, feeling the heat turn up. 

They keep fighting, devouring each other, until Louis, in one swift emotion, it's on top of Harry. Harry breaks the kiss only to see Louis. And well.

Louis' hair is all messy and it's just, perfect. His blue eyes are dark now, and he is all flushed and, Harry can't even imagine himself right now, if Louis it's like this. 

A little smirk appears on Louis' face, and he moves Harry's hands away, only to take his own shirt, and pull it over his head, taking it off. 

And good lord. Harry is sure he is drooling, checking Louis out. He has a few tattoos and he, well, is broad. And even with a cute little tummy, almost invisible, Harry already knows he is doomed. 

And when Harry doesn't do a thing, keeps checking Louis out, it takes Louis to press himself with Harry, making their groins to feel the pressure, with clothes and all, for Harry to groan and come back to real life. 

"Aren't you naughty?" Harry says, voice hoarse and smirk on his lips. 

"Maybe," Louis says, grinding on Harry again, "Are you going to do something about it?" Louis says, bitting his own bottom lip. 

"Oh, you bet your sweet ass, I'll do," Harry says, grabbing Louis' bum and squeezing it. 

Louis squeals, grabbing Harry by his t-shirt neck and pulling him closer, deepening in another kiss. 

Harry gives in easily, letting Louis to guide this time, while he takes his hands to Louis' jeans, trying to unbutton them. 

"Shirt. Out," Louis says between the kisses, and Harry doesn't obey until he opens Louis' jeans and pull them under, just a bit. 

"Fuck, you're so hot," Louis says, once Harry's shirt is out, kissing Harry's jawline and neck. 

Harry cups Louis' ass then, squeezing it until he can't with curiosity and goes under the fabric of the boxers, feeling Louis' bum for the first time, "Do you make squats or—,"

"Oh, shut up," Louis says giggling and he rolls over, standing up, showing his back to Harry. And Harry thinks it's over, but then Louis lowers himself, only to take his boxers properly. And when Louis turns to see Harry, his dick all hard and pumped, Harry has to swallow a few times. 

Harry stands up as well, undressing as quickly as he can, and when he turns back, Louis is lying in bed, all spread out, chest against the sheets, his ass up and ready. 

"I swear to god, you're taking too much," Louis whimpers, grinding himself against the sheets. 

"Stop," Harry says, almost orders him, and Louis obeys. 

Harry goes back to bed, and kneels in bed, and starts kissing Louis' thighs. 

"Oh fuck," Louis breathes out, opening his legs so Harry can kiss better. 

Harry's hands go and cup Louis' ass, squeezing it and spanking it, making Louis' arch his back, which makes Louis' bum to stand out more. 

"So  _fucking_  delicious," Harry says, getting closer to Louis' hole. 

"Oh for fuck sakes, just stop teasing," Louis whimpers, face against the sheets. 

"Don't swear," Harry says, spanking him, "I'm the only one that can swear."

Louis moans and nods eagerly, "Okay."

Harry leans closer and breathes into Louis, making the boy shiver. Harry takes Louis' ass, each cheek in one hand, and separates them, nuzzling into Louis' hole. He starts kissing, making Louis moan low at first, grinding, feeling his cock already about to explode. 

And before he continues, Harry takes his own dick and starts pumping, all hard and ready. Just then, Harry decides to stick out his tongue and pass it along Louis' hole and—, 

"Oh shit," Louis moans, grinding faster. 

With his free hand, Harry spanks him, "Told you not to swear."

"Argh," Louis whimpers. 

Harry keeps pumping and he nuzzles again, starting to eat out Louis. 

And Louis starts moaning, feeling Harry's tongue inside and out of himself, grinding himself against the sheets; and Louis looks so hot, so needy, that Harry is sure he won't last that much. 

Harry takes his free hand, licking his index finger and starts fingering Louis then, still tracing the outsides with his tongue, and wow, Louis really is _loudloudloud._

Harry enters a second finger then, pumping harder in his cock, the pre-come serving as lube, making it easier for his hand to go up and down fastly, as well as his fingers in and out. 

"Oh fuck, Harry I'm going to come," Louis says, with high voice and closed eyes, face against the matress. 

Harry enters a third finger then, more quickly this time, with both his fingers and the pumping, and in no matter of time—seconds really—Louis is moaning and coming all over the bed. And the pure sight of Louis' face while doing it, makes Harry to come too. 

It's amazing really, because Harry has been wanting to do this ever since that night they got all heated up and seeing Louis' all flushed and hot, like this, naked with his bum in Harry's hands, it's definetely something Harry wanted to do. And he doesn't understand how he got so so lucky. 

Louis, still lying in bed, turns his back to the bed to face Harry, opening his arms so Harry cuddles with him. And Harry does without second guessing. 

They breath each other, trying to recover, still getting down from all the high, trying to balance out his heart beats. Just cuddle time. 

"That was amazing," Harry says, kissing Louis' chest, "But how did I end up being the small spoon?"

Louis giggles at that, kissing Harry's top head, "Because you're always going to be younger, babe."

Harry wrinkles his nose at that, making Louis laugh harder. 

"If you did this only to forget about my meal, it didn't work," Louis says, tangling his legs with Harry's, "It actually made me hungrier."

Harry laughs softly, tracing his light fingers along Louis' arms, "I will buy you meal, but I think we need to take a shower first."

Louis groans at that, "Ugh, I don't even want to get up," Louis says in a cute whiny voice. 

"Room service?" Harry suggests, looking up to see Louis. 

"Are all our dates going to end up with room service?" Louis says jokingly, only to roll over to get the phone. 

"I don't know, but if we end up like this," Harry says, grabbing Louis' naked bum, "I don't really mind."

"Cheeky," Louis says, slapping Harry's hand and dialing room service. 

"Cute," Harry says, holding Louis tighter. 


	14. just close your eyes and enjoy the roller coaster that is life

It's 7am Friday and Zayn doesn't want to get up. For god sakes, he shouldn't wake up. He usually wakes up until 10 o'clock when the sun is up and bright. But today, well--today he has to wake up early. Fuck Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles. 

Yesterday, Zayn got a text from Louis saying he was going to skip work because Harry was taking him to a road trip. Well, what does Zayn has to do with this? Zayn has to cover for him. Yeap. Fuck them. 

Somehow, Zayn manages to drag himself out from bed and gets to the shower. He seriously hates Louis so much right now. He should be sleeping, for christ sakes. He washes himself up and he makes sure to take his time to enjoy the hot water splashing against the skin of his back. 

He goes out of the shower and wraps a towel around his waist. He takes a look at the mirror above the sink, looking at his appearance. 

_No, no way. I'm not shaving today._

He then opts to get ready--taking a pair of black skinny jeans and his work t-shirt--and then goes to style his hair. And god, could he take more time? 

He's already finishing when his phone buzzes. 

\-------------------------

Payne in the ass: im outside. You ready? 

\-------------------------

Oh right. Liam is picking him up. He rembers now the little fight Louis and Zayn had yesterday over that. 

_"But I don't want Liam to come to the store, I can manage everything myself."_

_"No way, no. I don't trust you. Besides, Liam wants to help. And he's the boss son."_

_"But I hate Liam!"_

_"..."_

_"Okay, I don't hate him, but he's annoying."_

_"..."_

_"Okay, he's not but--"_

_"But you like him and he makes you mad, because you feel weak and he's all tough."_

_"Bullshit."_

_"Bullshit to bullshit."_

_"You can't call bullshit to bullshit."_

_"Yes I can."_

_"No way bro."_

_"Zayn..."_

_"I don't want him there Lou."_

_"Sorry bro. It's for the best."_

_"I hate you."_

_"And I love you too Zaynie."_

Okay, so maybe Louis knew what was going on in his little mind before he even noticed, but Liam Payne is just... not for him, okay? Or maybe he is but Zayn is scared to hell and he doesn't want to accept the fact that Liam, it's in fact, the one he likes. 

\-------------------------

Payne in the ass: zayn did you oversleep? I told you to set up your alarm clock dumbass

Malik: sit yo ass down, im coming 

\-------------------------

 Zayn takes a final look at himself in the mirror and he's ready to go. 

"M' going mum," Zayn shouts with his soft morning voice, "Love you."

"Love you too Z," he hears from the kitchen--probably his mum is making breakfast for his sisters.  

He takes his bag from beside the door and steps outside. He inmediately sees Liam's car outside, with Liam behind the wheel, looking at his phone. 

\-------------------------

Payne in the ass: were going to be late

\-------------------------

 Zayn arrives to the car and taps the window, 

"Stop bullying me, I'm here," Zayn says, waiting for Liam to unlock the door. 

He does, instantly, taken by surprise, "Why do you always take so much every morning? We are late now!" 

"Well, unlike you, I take care of myself," Zayn says, looking at the little mirror on his spot, "I need to look good for the customers."

"Right," Liam says with a certain not-that-subtle jealousy, "You always look good," he says under his breathe. 

"What?" Zayn asks like if he didn't notice. 

"Nothing just," Liam says before sighing, "Stop moving so much."

"Damn," Zayn says turning to see Liam, "You wake up all sassy and snappy."

"It's because--because Louis is away with Harry and that--I don't know, I don't want him to hurt Louis," Liam says finally. 

"Oh," Zayn says, sitting straight back. 

They spend the rest of the journey in silence, swimming in their deep thoughts. 

And really, all of this is ironic to Zayn. He remembers the first time he discovered about Harry in a hipster blog, when Gemma's first clothes came out. 

_"Zayn I swear to god if you don't start working, I'm going to--,"_

_"Louis, I've been shot."_

_"What?"_

_"Cupid has shot me."_

_"Oh bollocks."_

_"You hear me out, this is going to be my new obsession."_

_"Mhhm."_

_"This new kid--Harry Styles--it's going to be my perdition."_

_"Right."_

_"The day I meet him, I'll be damned."_

_"They are going to fire us."_

_"And listen to me, listen--I'll fuck him senseless and--,"_

_"Oh fuck, there we go."_

Oh destiny. You like to play with people, don't you? Zayn laughs to himself and that makes Liam turn to him and glare at him. 

They finally arrive to Forelsket and open the shop. From turning the lights on, arranging clothes and cleaning, everything is finished before 9:30am. 

Liam has to sit down and he lets out a long sigh. 

"Is this what Louis has to go through everyday?" Liam asks, breaking the silence. 

"I wouldn't know, I arrive here until 11am," Zayn says, sitting beside Liam. 

Liam nods, remembering the schedule and relaxes when he feels Zayn beside him. 

"Thank for doing this with me," Zayn says, all soft. 

"No problem," Liam replies smiling. 

"I would probably be dead by now," Zayn says, "I'm really lazy as fuck, now imagine doing all of that by myself."

Liam laughs openly at that, "Right, you're right."

Zayn nods with his sheepish smile on his face and he gets up from his spot, "You mind if I go and buy some tacos from across?" 

"Nah, it's fine," Liam says with a small smile, "Go and have fun."

"You want anything?" Zayn says, turning to Liam, "I can bring you some tacos or--,"

"It's fine Zayn," Liam says, standing up as well, "Go and eat."

Zayn nods then, turning back and exiting the shop. 

He gets to the bus, a few people lining up and that's when he sees a shade of blond out of all the people. 

"Ni," Zayn says, stepping closer to the boy, "What you doing here so early?" 

"Hey!" Niall says turning to hug him, "Well, since Louis left us here to die alone, boss told me to arrive early to the shop," he says with a strong accent, "Thought I pass early to eat some stuff."

"Carnitas and chipotle?" Zayn asks, looking at Zayn. 

"Yeah man, you know me," Niall says grinning. 

"Too much," he says smiling. 

Zayn orders then, asking for two pastor and guacamole tacos, and Niall starts eating. 

"So," Niall says with with mouth full, "Tell me about this kid Louis is dating," he says swallowing his food, "Isn't he the same you love so much? The stiff model?"

"He is not stiff," Zayn says inmediately, "He is cool. And yeah, that's him." 

"You still like him? Isn't that awkward?" Niall says, taking another bite. 

"You're gross sometimes dude," Zayn says, finally taking the order from the guy handing over, "But no. Not really. I mean--at first, I guess but like, I know they care for each other and I was only obsessed with like, the fame and model thing. Now that I know him, he's like more Louis type; all clumsy and cheesy."

"Right, because Louis is sarcastic and dirty," Niall says laughing. 

"No but really," Zayn says shaking his head and smiling, "You should see them together."

Niall shrugs and keeps eating. Zayn starts to eat as well, taking one taco in his hand--taking care the same situation with the salsa doesn't happen again. 

"So what happens with you?" Niall says after a while, taking a sip from his soda. 

"What do you mean?" Zayn says after swallowing. 

"What about you? You didn't get Harry, now what?" Niall asks. 

"Well, I mean--I don't know," Zayn says, shrugging. 

"What about Liam?" Niall asks.

Oh shit. 

"What about him?" Zayn tries to dismiss it. 

"Oh please," Niall huffs, "We all know you guys have a thing."

"You mean Louis and Liam," Zayn says all defenssive and wow, wow. 

"No man, you and him," Niall says finishing his soda. 

"I don't know what you are talking about," Zayn says, finishing one of his tacos. 

"you are always fighting and shouting to each other, you can't stand each other but you get so... physical," Niall says, thinking before continuing, "And all the sexual tension, I mean," Niall says, shrugging. 

"Sometimes you say the most crazy shit, I swear," Zayn says before leaving his plate, "I'm done, and I have to go back before Liam starts calling me."

"Ohh, bossy," Niall says with a smirk. 

"I'm done," Zayn says just a bit annoyed. 

He throws his plate away and pays for his food before going back to the store. Niall says goodbye with a smirk on his face, all smug the bastard. 

And when he comes back, he notices there's a few people inside the shop. Good, customers at last. 

"For the last time, I don't know where is Harry," Liam shouts to them, apparentely with annoyed tone. 

"What is happening?" Zayn asks, making eveyrbody turn around. 

And so he sees them. All paparazzis. Cameras are hanging around their necks and note pads are on their hands. 

"Thank god you're here," Liam says approaching him, "Tell them we don't know Harry, we don't know a thing about them," Liam says, nudging him. 

"Uhh, no, we don't--why would us?" Zayn says, trying to omit the fact that they know Harry and they know where they are. 

"We saw him entering this shop for the last days," one fo them says, with desperate voice, "We know he comes here."

"Well, he is not here," Zayn says, annoyed by their attitude, "You should go before we call the cops."

"Relax kid," one of them says, "We just want a couple of shots of Harry and his boyfriend."

"What?" Liam speaks up again, eyebrows furrowed and anger in his face, "What did you just say?"

"We know about them, we just want a few candids," the man explains, like if it's the most natural thing in the world. 

"Go away before I call security," Liam says, closing his fists, trying to calm himself, "Go away before the boss arrives." 

"K' chill, we'll leave," the man says, motioning to the other guys to follow him. 

Once they are all out, Zayn turns to look at Liam, "Are you okay?"

Zayn touches Liam's arm and Liam instantly relaxes, no more fists or tense face. 

"I just--I'm fine," Liam says, trying to give Zayn a small smile--a fake one probably. 

"It's fine," Zayn says to Liam, "Harry will take care of him, it's fine."

"How do you know?" Liam says over his normal volume, "We--we are not sure Zayn! Harry could be just playing with him!"

"But he is not!" Zayn answers him with anger, "Haven't you seen the way he sees Louis? It's impossible!"

"So you're basing yourself over the way Harry looks at people? Jesus, he is like a puppy, he sees everybody the same way!" Liam shouts back, both of them getting closer. 

"Why are you so jealous of Harry? Is it because of Louis? God Liam!"

"I'm not jealous--It's not because of Louis--,"

"Then why are you so anrgy?!" 

"Because you keep defending him!"

Zayn stares back at Liam blankly and Liam stares back, just for a few seconds before he speaks again, "Forget it just--for get about it."

"Liam," Zayn says, reaching for him, taking him by the arm. 

"No! I just hate that you're always against me," Liam snaps back, getting closer to Zayn again, bumping chests, "I hate it!"

"Because you keep acting like this!" Zayn bumps back, anger--or tension, who knows-- boiling up again. 

"Well, if you haven't noticed, I've been trying to change!"

"Come on them, show me! Come on!" Zayn keeps saying, bumping against Liam, until Liam bumps him back, but he takes Zayn by both shoulders, only bringing him closer and kissing Zayn. 

Both lips smash hard together, and there's no room or time for sweetness, because Zayn starts kissing back hungrily and Liam it's already biting Zayn's lower lip, griping tighter his hands around Zayn's arms, holding him closer and closer and closer. 

And Zayn can't move, but shit, he wants more, so he finally gives in, he finally opens his mouth. 

"Oh shit," they hear from the door, "Fucking finally!"

And it takes a few seconds for them to separate--a few tiny seconds really, but enough for Niall to open snapchat and take a photo. 

"M' sending this to Louis," Niall says brightly, "I can't believe you finally did it! Fucking finally!" Niall laughs, typing into his phone. 

"Oh shit," Zayn says, looking down. 

"You know what Niall?" Liam says, sounding off, "I'm sure it looks blurry," he says, but Zayn can't even face him right now, "So why don't you take another one?"

And with that, Liam lifts Zayn's face and kisses him again, smashing his lips against Zayn's, this time sweet, tender, delicate; Liam taking Zayn's face by his chin, Zayn taken by surprise, but quickly melting into the kiss. 

"No fucking way!" Niall says, "Wait! Let me take another thousand!"he says giggling and snapping pictures. 

That's what happens when Zayn is out of bed before 10 o'clock; all your fault Louis. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I needed some kind of closure with Zayn. So if you didn't notice, this is a chapter dedicated not only to Zayn, but to One Direction. I know it's over a week after but I started writing it the same day, all my emotions out of place, and writing seemed like a good idea a week ago. 
> 
> I know it has happened a lot. From the zerrie drama to the zayn leaving to naughty vs louis. So I guess, this chapter was my way to say, that I know, (or I'm trying to believe, really) that Zayn loves the boys. And that they are his four best friends. And that I think we need that reminder? Because it may seem like he betrayed us and them or something, but then you see all the happy smiles and laughs he had with them over the years, and you know, he truly enjoyed this. It's just, it came to a point where he didn't anymore, so he preferred saving his friendship with the boys over his career. 
> 
> I won't stop writing about him. I won't stop writing about all of them five. This was just, that reminder from myself. K?


	15. the secrecy our smiles take on before people

"You know we should probably go out," Harry says lying in bed, black boxers and a single white tee on him, "I mean we came here to visit places, not to see satellite TV for hours."

"Sorry but I don't miss any Start Wars marathon babe," Louis says with one of Harry's many black t-shirts - too long on him, really - with his thighs only exposing, "You don't understand how much I dig this _I'll conquer the entire galaxy for your love_ story."

"So that's why you like it? Only because this Dark Father-,"

"In German, Harry," Louis interrupts him, "Darth Vader."

"Whatever," Harry says not even worried, "This monster with creepy breathing is willing to take down everybody, including his own son and the entire galaxy, only to prove something to his one true love," Harry says, raising his eyebrows, "And you like it?"

"Everybody likes it, Haz," Louis says, watching the movie with crossed legs on bed, next to Harry, "Now, shush so I can watch."

"I swear to god sometimes you're weird," Harry says mocking him.

"Well, you still like me, right?" Louis says, turning to look directly at Harry.

And it takes Harry by surprise, seeing Louis with his t-shirt, all soft, fringe down, covering almost all of Louis' forehead and the blue of his eyes being remarked by the lights coming out of the screen and the eternal tanned glow on Louis' face and - everything, really, takes Harry by surprise.

"Yeah, I still like you," Harry says finally, smiling and coming closer to Louis, only to kiss him in his forehead with Louis' soft hair and all.

"I like you too Haz," Louis says with a soft voice, "Way too much for my own good."

And Louis' choice of words makes Harry remembers the purpose of this trip, really. Not only the let's-hide-from-paparazzis, but his real purpose.

"Come on babe," Harry says, bringing Louis between his opened legs, hugging him from behind, arms around his waist, "Let's go out for a while and see some stuff."

"But Harreh!" Louis says whining, "There's not even like a proper thing to do here on Wolverhampton."

"How do you know?" Harry says trying to be cheeky.

"Because Liam is from here," Louis says, getting back to the movie while talking, "We came here with him and his family for a summer like two years ago and Zayn and I were incredibly bored that we ended up - oh god, to think it was how it all began."

"You ended up doing what?" Harry says, turning his head to look at Louis, a bit worried.

"We ended up... getting high," Louis says finally, sighing after he finished, "And that started all, our every two weeks sessions and now it's like a normal thing," Louis says and turns his head towards Harry, "Please don't get mad."

"No, no of course not," Harry says, shaking his hands, "I mean it's a thing you used to do, right? I hope you haven't done it while I'm here."

"Nah," Louis says smiling, "We got high just before I met you so."

"Louis," Harry says concerned, "Babe," Harry says more lighter now, "I know that maybe it's like a fun thing to do but please don't do it again, yeah? It's dangerous and it always reacts different and - or at the least, not so often? Maybe you can change it to a every six months thing."

Louis snorts but then he sees Harry's face and calms himself, "I won't do it again then," Louis says, "Only for you."

"Thanks," Harry says smiling, "Now get up and put some pants on - even if I like you just like that," Louis laughs at that, "We have to at least have dinner outside."

"Ughhh," Louis groans and lets his back fall back on the bed, "Alright, alright! You're really a pain in the ass."

"I thought you love the pain," Harry says all cheeky, giving a wink to Louis.

"Shut up," Louis says giving up.

————

After a shower with both of them with no sex but tickles and a lot of soap, they are ready to go and enjoy... whatever Wolverhampton has to enjoy.

And well, apparently Wolverhampton has a lot to offer.

They are walking down Stafford Road, hand in hand, with people walking beside them and, no one actually cares for them.

Harry can keep walking without the fear of paparazzis appearing or some sort of. But really, the weather is nice, the people is being friendly and - what other amazing thing besides having your boyfriend beside you under these lovely circumstances?

"Do you know where are we going to dinner or are we just wandering off looking for a place?" Louis asks a bit desperate, trying to silence the noise from his stomach.

"I actually have a place," Harry says with a grin, "I told you, I have sort of everything planned."

"Okay then," Louis says not totally convinced, "Just tell me how far are we because I'm starving!"

"Easy there little lion," Harry says, gripping his hand tighter and smiling to him.

They finally arrive to The Brook Coffee House, this incredible cozy restaurant just down the street, which is nothing too fancy, but just the perfect thing they both need. Which is a lot of food for this hungry rabbits.

"Are you trying to save on expenses? You should have rented a less fancy car."

"Shut it," Harry says to Louis, "This is perfect and we love the Porsche, so."

"True that," Louis says entering the restaurant.

There's no hostess, so they are free to choose whatever table they want but at the end they choose for a couch at the back, with a bookshelf beside and a little coffee table in front of it.

It's a really small place really, just a few tables, a couch and a sofa. It's like, really local, not fancy. Louis is pretty sure they only serve coffee and pastries but for him is enough.

There are fairy lights on the liquor shelves and there's also little boxes of cereal above them, a huge coffee machine and a tiny fridge with bottle of waters and juices. A couple of cupcakes and brownies along with some slices of cake there in a glass box.

"Perfect," Louis whispers, taking all in, squeezing Harry's hand.

"I knew you were going to like it," Harry says smiling.

They arrive to the couch and they sit next to each other, Louis quickly spooning himself into Harry's chest, while Harry automatically pulls him closer, putting his arm around Louis' shoulders.

"Hello," a man with the menus arrive and leave the menus on the coffee table, "Call me whenever you're ready."

"Thanks," Harry says, trying to go for the menus but Louis takes them first.

"Okay, let's see," Louis says, opening one menu, "What should I eat?"

"I already know what I will order," Harry says, playing with the hem of Louis' t-shirt from behind.

"What? Why?" Louis says turning around to see Harry.

"Well, because I saw their web page before coming here and I saw the menu and there's this thing that sounded delicious and -,"

"What is it then?" Louis says interrupting him, "Tell me."

"Triple egg omelette," Harry says with a faint smile.

"What? Breakfast for dinner?" Louis says looking at the food.

"Well, yeah this place it's kind of just for breakfast, you know?"

"Then what the hell are we doing here at -," Louis look at his watch, "At 8:45pm? Isn't this place supposed to be closed?"

"One of the many perks of being Harry Styles," Harry says with a smirk, tickling Louis a bit.

"Shut it," Louis says firmly, but the tickling and his laugh betrays him.

Once they read the menu, they are ready to order.

For Harry, it's the _Tripple Egg Omelette_ and a _Rosé Lemonade_ \- fancy pants, I know.

For Louis - even if he wanted to ask for the kids menu because he's sure he won't be able to finish all the food but Harry didn't let him because _You have to eat properly,_ and _No, a babychoccocino will get you all hyper with all the chocolate,_ so - it's Scotch pancakes and Yorkshire Tea. Earl Grey, please.

The waiter leaves with a sincere smile and the promise of returning soon with their food, leaving them alone again.

Louis is playing with one of Harry's big hands, tracing his fingers with his own, being very gentle with the touch, tracing every single surface of it.

A few minutes pass until Harry speaks again.

"You know," Harry says, watching Louis doing it, "There's not a single place I would rather be but here," he says, smiling towards him.

"Me too," Louis says, still playing with Harry's fingers, "And I know that you have done everything for me, like - you haven't allowed me to pay for a single thing, so I promise you that I will pay you back and -,"

"Nonsense," Harry says interrupting, "I don't want you to pay me back, because I'm doing this without expecting anything back."

"Harry," Louis says, this time, turning back to see him directly, passing his tongue along his lips to wet them, then watching Harry's lips, then again to his eyes, "I will pay you back. One way or another."

"Ok-okay," Harry says nodding eagerly. Louis smiles, biting his lip and turns himself, going back to the spooning against Harry again.

"I love when you get all seductive," Harry says close to Louis' ear, "You get so hot that I want to rip off your clothes right here and now."

"Not possible," Louis says with a teasing tone, "We will get all full of maple syrup and ruin our clothes."

"Who says you will have clothes on?" Harry says, pinching Louis' naked waist, "Besides, I wouldn't mind to pour some maple syrup all over you and -,"

"Food is ready," the waiter comes back with both the beverages and the plates full of food.

"Thank you," Harry says, and Louis throws a quick smile to the waiter.

"Enjoy your meal," he says before he's gone.

They eat then, their Breakfast for dinner, and they joke and share because _Sharing is caring_ , and Louis smudges some maple syrup into Harry's nose, and Harry wants to return the joke, giving a skimo kiss to Louis, but he squeals and laughs and at the end, they do get all full of maple syrup but no sex there - at least for now - and it's beautiful really, the dynamic they have develop over the days because somehow, they have reached a stage where both of them start sharing real memories and they can enjoy the relationship and it feels all real.

Except, it's not real because they just ran away - Louis from Cardiff and Harry from London - and there's a lot to do when they return, but great thing is they don't worry about it just now, because Harry has so much to offer yet - the road trip does not end there in Wolverhampton - and Louis wants to learn so much more and they both are so eager with this relationship and, wow.

They both end their meals, like kids at the end, with food all over the place, and Harry stands up and cleans a bit, before going over to where the waiter is waiting, and pays for everything - the food and the mess and the tip and the great favour of opening after hours - and the waiter dismisses them when they get outside and after that, it's just Wolverhampton night and them.

They walk for a bit along the road before Louis starts yawning - and like, it's okay because it's only natural that they feel tired, after a five hour trip and sex and tickles and well, everything - so Harry holds him closer to him, fingers gripping tight to Louis' waist.

"You feeling tired babe?" Harry says with low voice to him, and Louis only nods to him softly.

"Let's go back to the hotel then," Harry says, answering him and kissing him quickly on the cheek.

They arrive to the hotel, and Louis is not tired anymore - they still need to rest - so the first thing he does when he gets to the room, is check his phone.

"Wow," Louis says surprised, "I got like three missed calls and 7 texts."

"Who are they from?" Harry asks from behind, taking off already his skinny jeans and leaving them on the floor.

"From Malik," Louis says with a smile, "And a call from my mom. Oops, I forgot to call her when we arrived," Louis says, already returning the call to his mum.

"She is probably thinking I kidnapped you and now you're dead or something," Harry says, laying in bed, opening his arms for Louis to join.

"Probably," Louis says, taking off his vans and laying beside Harry on bed, "Hey mom! How - yeah, I'm fine - no, no I just forgot - yeah he is here," Louis says looking at Harry, "Mom says hi," Louis says to him with a fond smile.

"Say hi to her back," Harry says, kissing Louis temple.

"Yeah - no, I haven't talk to him - well yeah - no wait - mom but - ugh okay bye," Louis says, rolling his eyes, "Yeah, love you too."

"What happened?" Harry asks curious now.

"Mom says something happened in Forelsket," Louis says going through his texts, "He says I should call Zayn."

And when Louis opens his texts, this is what he founds.

——————-

Malik: louis, something is happening

Malik: there's a lot of paps looking for you and harry

Malik: k liam is angry as hell

Malik: btw i have to tell you something

Payne: Louis r u okay?

Payne: R u wth Harry?

Payne: Call us when you see this

——————-

Paparazzis? In Forelsket? Looking for... come again? Harry and HIM?

"Harry," Louis says barely, not able to talk, "There were paparazzis in the store, in Forelsket, looking for you."

"Oh shit," Harry says angry, "Shit sorry I'm - tell Zayn and Liam that I'm sorry," Harry quickly grabs his phone and starts typing furiously.

"Wait," Louis says taking one of Harry's hands between his, "I - they said that they were looking for me too."

"Fuck," Harry says going back to typing and Louis notices he starts shaking.

"Babe it's okay we - I mean we're here there's no need to - Harry listen to me," Louis says cupping his face in order to look at him, "Babe it's fine, I mean, no it's not okay but we are here, they can't do anything, yeah?"

Harry looks at Louis for a couple of seconds before he smiles, "You're right, we are here."

"Right? And there's no way they can find us so, let's just enjoy this city," Louis says, leaving his phone and taking Harry's away and putting them both aside.

He cups Harry's face and smiles to him, going in for a kiss.

"Actually," Harry says interrupting, "We are travelling again tomorrow."

"What?" Louis asks, backing away, "Where?"

"It's... a surprise?" Harry says not sure how Louis will take it.

"Come on, tell me," Louis says desperately, "You know I hate surprises, tell me."

"Please don't get mad," Harry says in a low voice but Louis catches it.

"What? Why would I get mad?" Louis says, coming closer to Harry, "I don't care where are we going as long as I'm with you."

"You sure?" Harry asks still doubting.

"Yeah," Louis says smiling, putting one hand in Harry's chest, "It's okay love, just tell me where are we going, I'm sure I'll love it."

Harry sighs then and, "We are going to Doncaster."


	16. all I really care is you wake up in my arms

"Doncaster," Louis repeats Harry's word, not even sure of what he's saying. "Doncaster."

"I just - I just wanted to know more about where you came from - because your mother told me you were from Doncaster and - I mean, if you don't want to go it's okay babe I totally understand," Harry says trying to change the subject, seeing Louis' state.

"We can go to London! We can go to my flat and I'll take you to places and-,"

"No," Louis says suddenly, "Let's go to Doncaster, I mean I have only gone there once before and it will be nice to go there with you."

Harry sighs, "Are you sure love?"

"Hundred percent," Louis says with a small smile.

"Okay then, let's get things ready for tomorrow morning," Harry says, pulling Louis closer to him and kissing him on his temple.

"K' babe," Louis says with his face on Harry's chest.

 

\-------------

 

Next morning comes way too fast, and maybe it was because all of the things they did yesterday but Louis feels really tired and he doesn't want to know anything about anyone except maybe Harry but he definitely needs a cup of tea first.

Thank god, when he fully awakes now, there's a cuppa waiting for him on the night stand beside him and he smiles to himself.

Louis smells the warmth coming from the cuppa - mint tea, decent - and he exhales deeply after it, like the only smell of tea just made his day ten times better.

And he thinks so, until he sees Harry step out of the bathroom, towel around his low waist, torso showing, all his biceps and abs dripping wet and Louis is thirsty all of the sudden.

"Morning babe," Harry says smiling lazily, coming closer to the bed, "You liked the tea? It was the only flavour they had, since we are leaving today, I didn't thought it would be appropriate to send them to buy more stuff just-,"

"It's perfect Har," Louis says, putting his index over Harry's lips. "You're perfect."

Harry smiles at that and gives a little kiss to Louis' finger.

"Time to get up," Harry says, standing from the bed, "You have to shower so we can go to Doncaster."

"Ughhh," Louis says, cuppa still in his hand, "Don't want to shower."

"Please Lou," Harry says, grabbing some boxers from his suitcase and clothes, "We have a plane to catch in three hours."

"What? A plane? What about the Porsche?" Louis says surprised, gulping the bit of tea he just tasted.

"We will leave it here until we come back," Harry says without worry, "I already told the hotel our plans so."

"Okay so at what time did you get up? Are you superman or what?"

"I can't be superman," Harry says before he turns around, "But for you I'll be superhuman."

"Cheesy bastard," Louis says taking another sit of his tea.

Louis finally gets up - only after taking a decent amount of tea - and gets in the shower, while Harry prepares all the luggage and takes it down to the lobby - except for the clothes Louis is going to wear, that is.

And in no more than half an hour, they are both downstairs at the restaurant, eating traditional English breakfast.

"I'm so loving this," Louis says with his mouth full.

"I can do it better," Harry says taking a bite of his toast.

"Really now?" Louis says furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yep," Harry says confident of himself, "Full English breakfast it's my speciality. You should ask Gemma."

"Well, I will," Louis says finally, "When I finally meet her, I'll ask her tons of things."

"Really now?" Harry says imitating Louis. Louis slaps his arm at that.

"I will ask her, for instance, why are you such a dork. Maybe she was the one who let you fall of the stairs or something and now you're damaged."

"Or maybe it is because I can't manage a single word with you here," Harry says with all honest.

And Louis blushes at that, trying to dismiss Harry's comment.

 

\-------------

 

Once they are done with breakfast, they go to the room one last time to brush their teeth and check the room so see if they are not leaving something.

And when they finally are in the taxi on their way to the airport, Louis finally speaks up.

"I'm nervous," Louis says, gripping to Harry's hand, "Last time we were in Doncaster, I was very little, like four or so, I don't really remember. But mom says, there were a few people that recognized her, and it was a little chaos. Really, the only kind of chaos that happens there, such a small city. Anyway, she only stayed there for one day because of all the attention and she didn't want me to suffer. But - ,"

Louis interrupts himself only to inhale and exhale, trying to calm himself. Harry brings himself closer to him, squeezing Louis' hand tighter, to let him know he's here.

"But I remember," Louis says after a few seconds, "I do remember a bit of it. I remember the hotel we were staying and I remember that we were just waiting for the cab to arrive, inside the hotel. And there wasn't a lot of people, really we just wanted to go back to Cardiff but then - but then he arrived. My dad arrived, because apparently someone told him we were there and - the moment my mom saw him, she tried to shield me. She didn't even let me talk to him, see him properly."

Louis turns to see Harry then, his hand still in Harry's, "If we go to Doncaster, I want to meet him. I want to meet my dad."

"Are - are you sure of that bub?" Harry says, trying to seem neutral in all of this.

"I'm sure," Louis says nodding just once, "I think, it's what I need. I know I have been in Cardiff for way too much and before I met you, there was really no point of life, because somehow I knew there was something missing. And now that you are here," Louis says smiling to Harry, "The only thing I need now it's to meet him. To know how he is like and just, meet him," he says with a sigh at the end.

"Okay babe," Harry says nodding, "I will be there at your side."

"Thanks," Louis says smiling.

"So," Harry says after a few seconds, "Do you know where to arrive or are we just going to look for him?"

"Well, I haven't really thought about it," Louis says shrugging, obviously more relaxed now.

"Okay then," Harry says, nodding just once and taking his phone out, "We will see then once we arrive."

"Yep," Louis says letting his head fall back, closing his eyes.

Harry unlocks his phone then, opening the messages.

\-------------

Harry Styles: Krytal, I need a favour.

Krystal G.: and he appears! all of the sudden! no wonder Gemma has been hysterical

Harry Styles: Krystal... focus.

Krystal G.: I mean, really. maybe you could've send a text or something. we were going crazy in the office.

Krystal G.: not to mention there were tons of emails coming asking for an exclusive story and we couldn't do a thing because we wanted an exclusive as well!

Krystal G.: okay sorry, work has been hard lately. trying to cover up for all the Gemma appearances and trying to control your little runaway. what's up?

Harry Styles: You finished? Or you want to scold me more like a mother? I already have Gemma for that.

Krystal G.: Saltyyyy. How can I help you Haz?

Harry Styles: Can you please search information about someone? He was the major of Doncaster, like 20-19 years ago and his last name is Tomlinson.

Krystal G.: Got it. Mark Tomlinson?

Harry Styles: I guess so, yeah. Search for his address and phone number please. Also, small summary about his life and what he does actually. Thanks.

Krystal G.: K' no problem. I'll email the info later.

\-------------

When they get to the airport, the driver help them with their luggages, Louis being tired and drifting, barely walking and Harry taking care of Louis because he fears that Louis might get hurt with the state he is walking.

And they go then, off to Doncaster. It takes about hour and a half to get there by plane, so Louis spends it sleeping all the way while Harry takes the time to check on his social media.

He opens Twitter then, looking at his mentions. Generally, people asking to follow him or congratulate them for their birthday. But if he goes further, he starts reading tweets where Louis is mentioned.

_So you got a boyfriend? I KNEW YOU WERE GAY! // Are you still at Cardiff? Want a picture with you!! // WHO IS DAT BOI OI. YOU WERE WITH CARA?? ??! // if your gay does that mean cara lesbo? shes fine af. // HARRY AND MYSTERY BOY KISSING ON A TREE //_

So, generally that. A few other were just kind words of how he deserved some privacy and some others were asking for Gemma. And as usual, hate tweets. Ha. Harry got over those long ago.

Finally, they arrive to Doncaster and Harry has to be the one to wake Louis up.

"Louis," Harry says shaking him a bit, "We are here."

"What?" Louis says mumbling.

"We are here babe," Harry says, giving a quick kiss to Louis' lips, not being able to resist.

"What a wonderful way to wake up," Louis whispers smiling, "Another?"

And Harry leans back then, giving another kiss to Louis, this time, a real kiss.

"Good," Louis says after they break apart, smiling. They gather their things then, to get out of the plane.

There's a few people, the airport being bigger than the one at Wolverhampton, but not too much movement in there.

And like, Harry almost forgot for the couple of days he was famous, with all the quietness he had but here well...

"Harry!" a girl squeals in front of them, jumping and smiling big, "Harry Styles!"

Harry smiles at her, approaching to her and shielding somehow Louis from her.

"Hey," Harry says softly, the girl going for an embrace, "You want a picture?"

"Of course, of course!" the girl says smiling, "Maybe Louis can be in the picture as well?"

And, what? Louis listens to this and turns to the girl, eyes big and confusion on his face.

"Please Louis! No one in school will believe I met you unless I have proof!" the girl says, shaking her phone to them, "Please?"

"How do you know his name?" Harry asks her, almost not politely.

"Well," the girl says with caution seeing Harry's state, "Everybody is talking about him on Tumblr. About you and him actually, so."

Louis is like a zombie, really. He nods, without smiling or anything and positions himself beside the girl, opposite to Harry.

When the girl snaps the selfie (or ten, maybe) she thanks them and goes away, probably back to her parents or something.

"So they know my name now," Louis says when the girl is gone after a few seconds, "They know my name."

"I'm so sorry Lou I didn't want-,"

"It's okay," Louis stops Harry, "I just - I guess I never thought how weird it would be - it feels like - like I'm important or something. Dunno, weird."

Harry comes closer to him, and tries to hug him, not wanting to bring a lot of attention to the scene.

"I told you I was going to protect you," Harry whisper to Louis ear, "And I'm going to. I know how hard it can be, so I'm here with you."

"Yeah," Louis mumbles in Harry's neck, shock still on him.

"I know that it's not what you wanted, and that you definitely didn't sign up for this, when you agreed to be with me," Harry keeps whispering, closing his eyes, not wanting to see the people walking beside them, "But I can assure you, it's going to be worth it, all of it. It's going to be worth it for our love."

"Okay," Louis says softly, letting go of Harry's embrace.

They burst the bubble then, going back to pick up their luggage and look for a cab, wanting to arrive to the hotel as fast as possible.

 

\-------------

 

"So," Harry says once they have settled in their hotel room, once again, this time in Doncaster, "What do you want to do first?"

"I don't know," Louis says shrugging his shoulders, sitting on the bed, "The only thing I remember is this park, with a little playground and a silly sandbox, really old - but I don't remember where that is."

Harry sighs then and sits next to Louis, "You really want to meet your father?"

"Yeah just," Louis says, looking at his lap, with his fingers fighting over each other, "I need to prepare myself - let's just, leave it for tonight, yeah? Let's spend a good day by ourselves first."

"Sure," Harry says kissing Louis' cheek and then standing up.

"Well, I don't know about you," Harry says stretching a bit, "But I feel like I could use some frozen yoghurt."

"Oh yes," Louis says standing up as well, "I'm in."

"Come on then," Harry says smiling, extending his hand for Louis to take it, "I may know a place."

"I swear to god, I don't even know how you know everything," Louis says, taking Harry's hand.

"Well, I have my connections," Harry says winking.

"Of course," Louis says snorting.

 

"Taro yoghurt?" Louis asks looking at Harry's cup, "What is even that?"

"Dunno," Harry says thinking about the topings, "But tastes delicious."

"Looks like Barney's vomit," Louis says wincing at the cup.

"Well, yours look like poop, so."

"Well, at the end everything looks like poop so, " Louis says, replying with sassiness, "Besides, triple chocolate froyo it's the best," Louis says looking at the topings, "It literally melts in your mouth."

"Because it's froyo, it's supposed to melt," Harry answers back.

Louis turns around then, cute angry little face, "You are distracting me! I have to choose topings now, so shhhh."

Harry grins at that, and steps away, choosing his own too - kiwi and mango, because what combines with Taro, anyway?

Louis chooses chocolate chips and strawberries - he will probably get all hyper later.

Harry pays for them then, and they go and sit in a bench outside the place, enjoying the lovely midday and the little sun over the clouds.

"I wanna taste yours," Louis says, licking his spoon clean, "I have never tried that flavour."

"But you were just telling me it looks like Barney's poop," Harry says, not letting Louis scoop into his froyo.

"It looks like that," Louis says matter of fact, "But I want to taste it. Please," Louis says fluttering his eyelashes to Harry, and Harry really can't even fight for a second, because he instantly surrenders and give his froyo to Louis.

Louis takes Harry's spoon, and takes a munch of the froyo, widening his eyes, "Haz! This tastes really good!"

"M' telling you babe," he says with all the fond in his heart, "I don't even know what it is, but it tastes amazing."

"Nothing like my chocolate," Louis says, still eating from Harry's frozen yoghurt.

"Sure," Harry says with a smirk.

A girl and a boy - probably a couple - come out of the shop but the girls recognizes Harry.

"Oh my god! Harry?" the girls says, making the guy beside her stop and look at both of the boys.

Oh, not again. Louis tries to hide himself behind Harry, not wanting to be recognized by another fan. But this time is different.

"Ella?" Harry says lowly, standing up from the bench, being serious all of the sudden.

"Dear cousin!" the girl - Ella, apparently - shoots herself to Harry, hugging him and giving him a big smile, "I've missed you so much!"

Just then, Louis dares to look to the girl and the boy now; and watching the boy's expression, something tells Louis he doesn't understand at all - just like Louis.

"Yeah, me too," Harry says unconvinced, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh well, just a small family road trip, you know," Ella says, flipping her hair back, smile big and sincere, "What about you? How's life in London? You're big now, right? How's that?"

"Mhmmm, pretty good," Harry says, not really in the mood. Louis notices this, and he notices that Ella, is noticing Harry's bad mood, but really, no one wants this situation more awkward so,

"Hey, Louis Tomlinson, nice to meet you," Louis says, extending his hand to Ella.

"Ella Selley, nice to meet you too," she says, brightness back to her face, "You're Harry's friend?"

"Boyfriend," Harry says coldly, "He is my boyfriend."

"Tomlinson?" the boy besides Ella finally speaks, "Like Mayor Mark Tomlinson?"

"What?" Ella turns to ask the boy, "What are you talking about Austin?"

"No, of course not - I mean, yeah it's the same last name, but we are not related - I mean, I'm from Wales, so -,"

"So Ella," Harry interrupts Louis from his nervous rambling, knowing how delicate is the subject for Louis, "It was nice to see you again, really. Say hi to the family for me."

Harry takes Louis' hand and he is decided to go immediately, leaving even the cups of froyos in the bench, just to get out of there as fast as possible but,

"She misses you," Ella says before they can go, "She really misses you and - Gemma as well. You should visit her, or something."

Harry doesn't even turn around, "Right."

But Louis does. He turns around and sees Ella's sad face and the way she is somehow expecting something from Harry but, he is taken away by Harry fast enough to put the pieces together so.

Harry stops a cab right after and they get inside of it, asking the driver to take them to the hotel.

It's silent all the way, each of the boy's in their minds, thinking about what happened back there - even when they arrive to the hotel, nobody speaks until they are in their room.

"So," Harry says after a long sigh, "You want to watch a movie? Maybe a comedy? I'm in the mood for a classic from the 80's, but you can choose."

Louis looks at Harry, not really getting all of the mixed emotions but before Harry can notice Louis is analysing him, he nods eagerly and says, "What about Grease? It's not the 80's but just so you know, it's like my favourite movie ever."

"What? Why am I just knowing this?" Harry says teasing Louis, lying on the bed, jeans already out, only in his boxers.

"Well, because I haven't told you about the time when I got to play Danny in the musical back in high school."

"What?! You were Danny Zuko?!" Harry says, not containing his laugh.

"Heyyy," Louis says, Harry's tone in his voice, "I was a very good Danny, let me tell you. I even remember some of the steps of the choreography."

"No way!!" Harry says laughing some more.

"Okay keep laughing then, I won't dance for you," Louis says, taking his jeans too, but actually putting some jogs.

"Come on," Harry says trying to control his laugh, "Dance babe, dance! Or at least sing to me."

"You don't deserve it," Louis says _offended_ , sitting next to Harry, his back against the headboard.

"Come on, I'll be Sandy," Harry says cuddling with Louis, hugging his waist.

"Well," Louis says arranging his fringe, "How can I ever reject an offer like that?"

Harry smiles then, standing from the bed, "Let me go for my iPad then, and we will search for the movie. We will sing along to all of the songs."

Harry goes then, and even if Louis is ready to sing along to Grease, his mind is still going around what happened back at the froyo shop.

What happened back there, was weird. And Louis is not ready to give up on the subject. He is ready to find out and help Harry just as much as Harry is helping him out. He is not going to give up on him. They are together now.


	17. and we could use a crazy night

It's a new day in Doncaster and the sun is up and shinning through the few clouds in the sky.

Harry wakes up before Louis, so that's good considering he has stuff to do. It's almost 8am in the morning, but he thinks it's a considerable time to start making calls.

"Krystal?" Harry speaks through the phone, going outside the room, careful not to wake Louis up, "Good morning."

"Hey Harold, what's up?" Krystal says through the phone, chirpy as it isn't early Sunday morning.

"Well, I just wanted to know if you had the information I asked you for, about, Mr. Tomlinson?"

"Oh yeah, right," there's a bit of noise in the background until Krystal speaks again.

"Well, let's see," she says, sounds of pages being skimmed through, "Mark Tomlinson, born and raised in Doncaster. He was the mayor like 20 years ago, and he wanted to be elected again like 15 years ago but he didn't win the elections. Ever since, he has been working for the government, as assessor and stuff like that, very close to the mayor and prime minister. He's trying to run for mayor again this year though, with a lot of support this time. He lives in the Bessacarr area - a really good area - in the south-east edge of Doncaster. I have his phone number, but I don't really know if it's like, the secretary/assistant one, nevertheless I will pass it to you."

"Yes please, thank you," Harry says sighing after Krystal is finished.

"I have to tell you though, he lives with his family - his wife Sallie and his daughter Becca - and they are okay, I guess. So you should warn Louis before everything."

"I will, thanks," Harry says thanking the day Gemma decided to hire Krystal as his agent/assistant.

"One more thing before you go," Krystal says, more serious now, "Karl has been calling."

"Oh," is the only thing Harry says.

"Exactly," she says, sighing before continuing, "He's been asking why there isn't a single photo of you and Harry in the papers of online magazines."

"Ugh, we have been avoiding them, I don't want involved in this."

"I know, I get you," Krystal says with some empathy, "But maybe there's a way of keeping Karl happy and not exposing Louis that much."

"I will hear the idea but if I don't like it," Harry says, almost sure he's not going to like it, "Karl will have to stop with all of this."

"Yeah, just listen," Krystal says before explaining everything to Harry.

*

Louis wakes up to a singing Harry.

_I can't help this feeling,_

_Deep inside of me,_

_Girl, you just don't realize,_

_What you do to me._

Louis spots Harry by the sink of the bathroom, singing to himself in front of the mirror. And Louis would laugh at that, if it had been anyone else. But watching Harry sing with so much devotion...

_When you hold me,_

_In your arms so tight,_

_You let me know,_

_Everything is all right._

Really, Louis is watching Harry with so much fond, that even when Harry takes the brush to use it as a imaginary microphone, Louis has to giggle as low as possibly so Harry doesn't notice.

_Ahhh ahh, I'm hooked on a feeling,_

_I'm high on believing,_

_That you're in love with me._

Suddenly, Harry turns around, in order to continue the songs but he sees Louis and stops in his tracks.

"Have you been watching all this time?" Harry asks a bit offended and a bit blushed.

"Yes love," Louis says openly laughing now, "It was incredible. Please sway your hips again, that was angelical."

"Stop teasing me!" Harry says in a higher tone, "It's not funny!"

"Really babe, come here and keep singing," Louis says, with his impossible big smile.

"No," Harry says pouting.

"Ohhh babe!" Louis says standing up, taking him by his hips, "It was so cute, I promise."

"You're just making fun of me."

"No, I swear love," Louis says lowly, "I never heard you sing before, it was incredible."

"Really? You liked it?" Harry asks with curiosity now.

"If the model career doesn't work, you can always try singing."

"Right," Harry snorts, like Louis is now joking.

"Or, I will pay you for life only if you promise to keep singing every day of our lives."

"That sounds more promising," Harry says, leaning closer to Louis, only to steal a short quick kiss.

"I should probably brush my teeth before everything," Louis says, stepping away headed to the bathroom.

Harry wrinkles his nose and nods, but Louis slaps him before he's too far, "Rude!"

It's Harry's turn to laugh.

*

"So, are you ready to meet your dad now?" Harry asks, watching Louis get dressed.

"Well," Louis says, not really paying much attention to Harry, "We will have to dig into information about him first, like - I don't even know where he lives or is he is still here?"

"Oh," Harry says, thinking how he should say everything to Louis, "What if we already knew that stuff, would you do it?"

"Yeah sure," Louis says, putting on a black t-shirt, "I mean, it's my dad and I want to. But like, what if he doesn't want to do anything with me?"

"Well, in that case, he doesn't deserve you as a son and we will get through this, together."

"Sometimes it amazes me how supportive you are," Louis says smiling big.

"And that's why," Harry says sighing before continuing, "I need to tell you something."

"Yeah?" Louis says, now paying attention to Harry.

"I already know where he lives. I told Krystal do dig in for me and she just emailed me all the information - please don't get mad."

"I - well, no I'm not mad," Louis says with wide eyes, "Surprised, yeah. Scared, definitely. Nervous, hell yeah."

"Thing is, if you really want to do this, I'll be there for you and I won't leave you alone, yeah? I want you to know that I'm here for you - that we are in this together."

"Yeah, okay," Louis says relaxing a bit, "As long as you are there with me."

"Perfect," Harry says smiling to his boyfriend, "Now, are you ready for breakfast?"

*

"Okay so, we finish this," Harry says motioning to the food in their table, "We go back to the room to get ready and then off to your dad's, okay?"

"What if he isn't home? What if he's with his family? Good Lord, this is dumb."

Harry takes Louis' hand from across him and squeezes, "You're going to be okay love, we are going to do this together, remember?"

"Mom is going to kill me. She's going to hate me. What if she finds out? Oh my god, she hates my dad. Why am I doing this?"

"Because you have the right to meet your dad," Harry says kissing Louis' hand' knuckles, "And even if Jay protected you all these years, it's time for you to make your own decisions."

"I hope you know what you are getting yourself into Harry, because once you do this with me, she's going to hate you and we will have to run away and marry without her consent."

Harry smiles fondly at that, nodding, "I'm already planning our marriage in Vegas."

"So cliché," Louis says finishing his orange juice.

They end their breakfast then at the hotel, going back to their room upstairs and get ready for the meeting with Louis' dad.

Harry can see that Louis is clearly nervous but eh tries to shrug it off with sassy come backs and kisses to him. Which, okay Harry doesn't complain. But maybe Louis should really let out all the stress before even arriving to Louis' dad's house.

"Do you want me to call and see if they are home? Or if this number is at least his personal?" Harry asks while Louis combs his hair.

"Let's wait until we are there, that way there's no way I can hesitate," Louis says moving his fingers through his hair.

"Okay," Harry says, lost in the way Louis puts so much effort into this.

See, Louis' eyes are glued to the mirror, which is showing his hair and the form it's taking and Harry loves the concentration shown in his face. Louis is eyes are looking up, which makes his thick eyelashes to show perfectly from below where Harry is sitting. His tongue is picking out from his mouth, between his teeth and he has his eyebrows a little furrowed and he is the most beautiful human being Harry has ever met.

And he remembers Krystal's offer and he thinks this is the time, so he cautiously takes out his phone and open his phone camera and very subtly, takes a photo of Louis like this.

And it's perfect, because it only shows part of Louis' face, but you can still see his eyes and part of his pointy perfect nose and his thin lips, all while combing his face. It's more like the outline of the side of his face.

With a perfect black and white filter, Harry decides to upload it to his intagram while Louis finishes preparing.

"What are you doing?" Louis asks, ready to go, making Harry snaps his eyes from his phone.

"Nothing," Harry says cheekily, "Just uploading a photo of my beautiful boyfriend to my instagram."

"WHAT?" Louis says snatching Harry's phone from him, looking at the photo.

Okay, the photo is actually cool. You can't even see Louis' entire face, but WHAT?

"Why did you do it?!" Louis whines looking at the comments.

"Because I wanted to show the world my beautiful boyfriend," Harry says, choosing to ignore the fact that also for Karl to leave them alone for a while.

"But - like, jesus fucking christ - HARRY!" Louis says whining, "You should've told me first!"

"But you looked beautiful - you actually look so perfect love, I didn't want to ruin the moment."

"Ugh," Louis says putting his hands over his face, "Go on, tell me what they are saying about me. I'll deal with it."

"You sure?" Harry says taking the phone, looking at Louis.

"Just do it. Let's get over with this," Louis says, his hands still over his face.

"Let's see," Harry says opening up the picture again and reading a few comments from the thousands we already has, "Well, this is bad."

"How much?" Louis answers with a little voice, "Tell me."

"This is so bad," Harry says smiling, "Everybody wants to either be you or be with you. How am I going to handle all this jealousy?"

Louis looks up from his hands all surprised and snatches the phone again. He starts reading the comments and every single one of them - as Harry just said - wanted either to be him or be with him. Even some people wanted to be Harry only to be with Louis.

"See?" Harry says, standing up from the bed and embracing Louis in a hug, "Everybody is weak to your charms. It's like you bewitched us all."

"What is it with Cardiff that makes you more cheesy?" Louis says turning to see him with a smile of relief on his face.

"It's not Cardiff, baby," Harry says kissing the top of Louis' head, "It's you."

*

"Are you sure of this?" Harry says with his hands around Louis' hand, "We can always tell the driver to turn around and take us to the hotel."

"I'm sure love," Louis says, smiling to Harry, "Don't worry about me."

"I will worry about you, now and forever," Harry says coming closer, "You know that."

"Harry, I'm seriously not nervous anymore. More like excited, actually."

"You sure?" Harry says squeezing Louis' hand between his.

"Yeah, I'm telling you, not nervous anymore. Actually," Louis says leaning closer to Harry's ear, "The way you sucked me off earlier relieved all the stress off my system so."

Harry blushes and coughs awkwardly, hoping the driver didn't hear. And it doesn't seem so, because he keeps driving as if nothing so Harry turns back to Louis.

"Well, those skinnnies really do something to your legs and ass so," Harry says playfully, with a playful smirk and his tongue wetting his lips.

"God Styles," Louis says almost in a moan, shades of pink on his cheeks, so close to Harry's face, "Stop it. We are on our way to see me dad. You don't want to meet him with a semi, do you?"

"Little kinky to be honest," Harry says playfully, pecking Louis' lips before backing away.

"You are going to be the death of me, I swear," Louis says letting out a sigh he was apparently holding.

"We are here," the driver says, "28 Bawtry Road, Bessacarr."

The driver then stops in front of a big white house with an enclosed driveway in the front, with enough room for four cars parked, two trees and the cab, apparently.

Louis is fascinated. Really, nothing compared to his little house back in Cardiff. Harry said earlier it's only his dad, his wife and apparently, a girl - his sister? half-sister? There's so much room - or it seems - for at least three more people.

He can see a lot of gardens and green areas around the house, making him wonder how big it's the backyard. Harry pays the driver and he gets out of the car quickly, rounding the car to open the door for Louis, still watching the house from inside the cab.

"Thank you so much," Harry says to the driver again, once both of them are outside of it.

"Wow," Louis says, finally after only looking, "It's huge."

"Yeah," Harry says, agreeing with Louis in this one. He almost forgot how huge houses can be in these cities. Nothing compared to London and his flat - which okay, it's pretty huge but nothing compared to a real house.

"Now. Call him now," Louis says turning to see Harry, "Let's see if he's home."

"Oh, yeah because maybe he is away with his fifth car," Harry says, taking out his phone.

"Shut up, just do it," Louis says desperate. Now he is questioning his clothing choices, maybe too informal. A plain black t-shirt, washed out denim skinny jeans and his white vans, with doodle all over them. Okay, he needs to change.

_"Hello?"_

Harry turns to look at Louis with wide eyes, handing the phone to Louis. To which, Louis hangs up.

"Okay he is home," Harry says, taking his phone back and saving it in his pocket, "Now what?"

"Go on, ring the door," Louis says crossing his arms, "I'll wait here."

"Babe, I said I was going to be with you, not do it for you."

Louis shakes his head and backs away, "I'm scared Haz."

Harry sighs and comes closer to Louis, "I get it darling, but I'm going to be there with you and - I'll promise you something. The moment you feel uncomfortable or you feel like it's too much, you say it and we will be gone."

"You promise?" Louis asks, all tiny and shy.

"I promise."

"Okay," Louis inhales and exhales, before taking Harry's hand and going to the front door.

With his hand shaking, he manages to press the bell and listen to the melody even from outside the house.

He can hear someone approaching - high heels, maybe his wife? - and then the door is open.

"Yeah - wait, are you Harry Styles?" the girl in front of them asks and Harry feels it like a punch in his gut.

"Uhmm, yeah hi," Harry says, squeezing Louis' hand for him to speak.

"What - no fucking way," the girl whispers and closes the door.

Harry and Louis look at each other confused and then the door opens again.

"Who is it - oh," the woman in front of them says, "Hi boys, how can I help you?"

"Hello ma'am," Harry says, extending his hand, "I'm Harry Styles, and this is Louis."

The woman shakes Harry's hand and she goes for Louis' hand, making Louis get out of his trance.

"Nice to meet you," the woman says with a bright smile, "So, how can I help you?"

"We are looking for Mark Tomlinson? He suspect he lives here," Harry says, taking lead on the conversation.

"Mark? Oh yeah, he's inside - uhmm," the woman hesitates but then she smiles and nods, stepping away from the entrance, "Please, come in, I'll let Mark you are looking for him."

Harry has to drag Louis inside and the woman leads them through the hall to the living room.

"You can wait here," the woman says exiting the room.

 _"Mark! Someone is here to see you!"_  they can hear the woman shouting.

 _"What? They are here to see dad? What the hell?!"_ Another voice - probably the girl - is heard.

_"Becca, watch your language young lady!"_

_"MUM! You're embarrassing me!"_

Harry chuckles at that, and Louis relaxes at the scene happening. The girl - Becca - enter the living room then, hair brushed and more freshen up.

"Harry Styles!" she says, all too formal all of the sudden, "I'm Becca Tomlinson, nice to meet you! What an odd and surprise to see you here, really..."

"Nice to meet you," Harry says standing up and going in for a hug, because that's what usually happens with fans. Louis keeps looking at her from the sofa, just sitting there.

"No really, what are you doing here?" the girl says not even letting Harry hug her properly.

"Uhh well-,"

"Hello - Becca? What are you doing here? Go back to your room," the man standing in the door says, making Becca turn around and stump her foot in the ground.

"Ughhh, you both are so embarrassing!" she says, walking to the exit and leaving the boys finally alone with the man.

"Hello, Mr. Tomlinson," Harry says, extending his hand to him, "I'm Harry Styles."

"Nice to meet you, please call me Mark," Mark says, shaking Harry's hand, "And I know you! You're quite famous, don't you?"

"Yeah," Harry says awkwardly laughing, "Uhmm -," he turns around to bring Louis up with him, "Sorry to interrupt but we are actually here for -,"

"Hi, I'm Louis," Louis says all shy and little, but still audible, extending his little hand to him.

"Nice to meet you, Louis," Mark says, finally looking at the short boy beside Harry, smiling politely to him, "I'm Mark Tomlinson."

"I'm Louis," Louis says again, still with Mark's hand in his, "Louis Tomlinson."


	18. the way is long but you can make it easy on me

"I'm Louis," Louis says again, still with Mark's hand in his, "Louis Tomlinson."

Louis lets Mark's hand fall to his side, while looking at each other. 

Since Louis saw Becca - Mark's daughter - he saw the resemblance they shared. The small eyes, the pointy nose, the fine lips. And now, looking at Mark, it's all over again. Except Louis is not the only one comparing themselves. 

"Louis... Tomlinson?" Marks asks, eyeing Louis up and down. 

"Sir," Harry tries to intervene but Louis speaks again. 

"I'm your son," he says with such a small voice, that Harry is almost sure Mark didn't hear him. But he did. 

"My son?" Mark repeats barely, not even sure of what he is saying. 

"I'm - I don't know if you remember but - Uhmm - my mom, is - Johannah?" Louis says, stepping all over his words, clearly nervous. 

Harry comes closer to him and places a hand behind Louis' back, rubbing subtly in circles. 

"Jay," Mark breathes out, instantly smiling. 

When Louis sees him smile, he relaxes, showing a shy smile to Mark. 

Mark comes closer to Louis, looking at the small boy, opening his arms, waiting for him to make a move too, and when Louis steps closer to him, they both openly smile and embrace in a hug. A big one. 

Harry is left out, watching the scene from a few steps, smiling all fondly. Mark is smiling so big, his eyes get to wrinkle and he can only think of Louis when he smiles that big. When he met Louis, he never thought he would be part of something as important as this. But he is so blessed to be with Louis, to share this with him, and be part of their relationship. 

 "I remember you now," Mark whispers into Louis' ear, "Fifteen years ago, that time your mother came back to Doncaster with you - you were beside her, that time and everything is not certain now but - I remember you."

Louis laughs then, shaking and almost sobbing. He remembers. His dad remembers him, just as he remembers him too. 

Mark separates from the hug only to hold Louis by his shoulders, "If I had known back then - if I knew you were mine -,"

"It's okay, you didn't," Louis says interrupting him, smiling. 

"No but," Mark speaks again, holding him tighter, "If I knew you were my son, I would have never let you go."

Louis smiles, nodding, "I know."

"Good," Mark smiles with him, and they embrace again. 

"What is happening here?" the woman says entering the room, smiling awkwardly to the scene, not really understanding at all. 

"Darling," Mark says, turning back to see her, separating from Louis but with an arm still around him, "Come here!"

The woman comes closer, situating herself beside Harry - maybe even a little closer. 

"This is Louis," Mark says, motioning to Louis, "Louis, this is Christina, my wife."

"Nice to meet you," Louis says, extending his hand. 

"We already met, darling," Christina says, still going on for the shake with Louis' hand, "Back there, at the door."

"Right," Mark says laughing, "Well, Louis is - uhmmm," Mark stops himself to think about what he is going to say next. "Remember Jay Poulston?"

"Uhmm - oh right, Johannah," Christina says, remembering. 

"Well, uh - this is her son," Mark says, looking between Christina and Louis, with wide eyes, waiting to see if Christina makes the connections. 

She doesn't. 

"Christina," Mark says, taking her hand, "Louis is my son."

"Oh," Christina says low first and then, "Oh! Louis!" She comes closer to him, opening her arms and giving him a short hug, smiling. 

"Hi," Louis says nervously, not sure how to feel. 

"And this is?" Christina says after the hug, motioning to Harry.

"My boyfriend," Louis says quickly, smiling to Harry. Harry smiles then, nodding along with the statement, "He came here with me."

"Aren't you a model?" Christina asks to Harry, eyeing not so subtly up and down. 

"Yes ma'am," Harry nods, hands clasped behind his back, taking the questions. 

"Well, that is lovely," Christina says smiling, "But boys, please sit down. I'll bring some tea and biscuits for you to chat. Please, take a sit."

She motions to the fine couches and sofas behind them and Mark obeys, taking the single sofa, letting a sigh out when he sits on it. 

"Do you want some help ma'am?" Harry says, being the nice lad he is. 

"Oh, of course, that would be nice," Christina says smiling, "And please, call me Christina."

Harry nods and turns to Louis, waiting for his permission. Well, not permission, but Harry is supposed to be there to support Louis, so. Louis smiles and nods, sitting on the couch next to his father.  _Father._  

"So you're dating a model?" Mark asks to Louis once Christina and Harry are out of the living room. 

"Well," Louis says playing with his hands on his lap, "It's kind of a fun longish story."

Mark nods, smiling to Louis, "I'm glad you came. I know maybe your mom didn't want you to come - probably the reason why I never knew of you - but thank god you are here."

"Well, it was all Harry really," Louis says smiling to Mark, "He - he arranged the trip and once we were coming to Doncaster, he suggested I should meet you."

"What an incredible boy, who would thought he was such an humble man," Mark says, "Not everything you read on the news and magazines is true."

"I know," Louis says nodding. 

"I'm glad Harry was there to support you then," Mark says. 

"Yeah, I'm glad too."

-

"Does Louis likes sugar on his tea?" Christina asks to Harry, preparing the four cuppas. 

"Uhh," Harry turns around to see her, "I don't think so. Just milk, please."

"Mmhm," she hums, smiling, "Can you please take out the box of biscuits from that shelf?" she says pointing to the door above Harry's head. 

"Sure," Harry says, obeying. 

"So what is it like? Being famous?" Christina tries to make some conversation. 

"Well, normal, I guess? I'm kind of used to it now. And not everyone recognizes me anyway. I'm just a model," Harry says, shrugging mindlessly. 

"My daughter did," she answers, smiling to him. 

"Yeah, but she's like, into Twitter and Instagram, so maybe it's because of that," Harry says, taking the box of biscuits to Christina. 

"Yeah probably," Harry says, looking while Christina settles the biscuits on a tray. "So how did you meet Louis, anyway?"

"Well, it's kind of complicated, really," he says, not feeling comfortable, "And a long story."

"Oh well," Christina says shrugging, "It's always like that, isn't it?"

Harry smiles politely and then Christina speaks up again. 

"You know, I don't have anything against Louis," Christina says, preparing the cuppas on the tray always,  "I did know Johannah, she was nice," she says smiling, handing Harry the kettle, "And Mark told me about her, like all about her. But it is still pretty shocking to find out your husband had a son with someone else."

"I can understand," Harry says, nodding. 

"And I don't want Becca to feel replaced or jealous," Christina says, carrying the tray. 

"Louis just wanted to meet his dad, he doesn't expect something from him," Harry says almost defensive. 

"I know just - just telling you," Christina says smiling, "You seem like a very honest guy so, I just thought I could tell you that."

"Oh," Harry freezes at that, "Thanks."

They go back to the living room, Harry carrying the kettle with his hands and Christina carrying the tray with four cups and the biscuits. They enter the living room to a cute scene, where Mark and Louis are sitting in the same couch, laughing over something. 

"Tea time," Christina says smiling, leaving the tray in the centre wood table, "Let me just call Becca."

"Please kid, sit down," Mark says to Harry, motioning him to sit beside Louis. 

He smiles and does as said, leaving the kettle over the tray in the little table, sitting next to his boyfriend. 

"How long are you going to stay?" Mark asks, accommodating himself to face Harry and Louis. 

"Uhh well, I don't know, Harry planned this so," Louis says eyeing Harry with a small smile, "Up to him, I guess."

"Well, tomorrow is Monday so I just thought we could go back later? You have to go back to work," Harry says, rubbing with his hand the lower back of Louis. 

"Oh," Mark says, his smile fading, "I was thinking maybe you could stay for dinner? Maybe have a BBQ or something," he says, turning to see Christina. She only nods and smiles, not even once complaining. 

"That would be lovely," Louis says, with little sparks in his eyes, turning to see Harry. And well, the only option available for Harry now is to smile and nod. 

"That sounds lovely," Harry says, smiling to Louis, "It would be a pleasure, thanks."

Mark's smile appears again, "Great! Let's do this!"

-

They are all now in the backyard - which is so huge they even have a guest house, with its own bedroom, full bathroom, living/dining room and a studio - the weather not so cloudy, but rather sunny for them not to panic about rain. Mark is currently dealing with the spit, with the help of Harry. While Christina is out buying the groceries needed for this improvised BBQ for five. 

"So, are you like my step-brother?" Becca asks to Louis, both of the chopping all the veggies for the salad. 

"Half-brother? I think," Louis says, shrugging. 

"I've always wanted a big brother," Becca says, smiling to him, "It sucks to be an only child. Do you have more siblings?"

"No, I'm an only child too," Louis says smiling politely to her. 

"Oh," Becca says surprised, "You look like you have dealt with little siblings."

Louis laughs at that, "Well, I have friends that are childish, so maybe that is?"

"Yeah, maybe," Becca says not sure, "So are you my big brother now?"

Louis stops for a few seconds, trying to process the whole thing. Is he, though?  Because Mark seems as ready as him to be accepted in this family. And he wants to spend time with his dad. And Christina seems lovely, really caring. And he always has wanted a little sister too. 

But what about his mother? His life in Cardiff? He has dreamed about leaving Cardiff for so long, but now it all feels so rushed that maybe he is taking this too far? 

"Yes," he says brushing off all his thoughts, "I am your big brother now."

"Cool!" Becca says smiling, doing little jumps in her place with excitement. 

Louis smiles back and he goes back to chop the lettuce but he feels a couple of thin delicate arms around his waist and a face pressed against his back. 

He turns around and hugs back Becca, a little smile appearing on his face. 

-

They start to eat then, after all the mess and well,  _discussions_ , about how the meat should be prepared and cooked - finally after all of that, they are finally eating in the large table on the backyard. 

"So Harry, what is next in your professional life?" Mark asks, trying to make conversation. 

"Uhmm - well, there's this thing with Karl Lagerfeld at Paris - like a new clothing line my sister is doing with him and the people at Chanel," Harry explains, munching on some salad. 

"Oh right, Gemma! I have one of her skirts," Becca says proudly.

"That's fascinating," Christina says. 

"I didn't know about it," Louis says, with a small smile and furrowed eyebrows. 

Harry turns to him with wide eyes and decides to ignore his comment. 

"What about you Mr. Tomlinson? How is your career going?" Harry says, trying to be really subtle on changing topics. 

"Please Harry, call me Mark," he says taking a sip of his beer, "And well, we are currently doing some telemarketing and door-to-door stuff for people to know more about me, but really, almost everyone around here knows me from before so it's been very light lately, besides the real thing  will start in about two weeks. There will be a debate, with the other candidates, so I will have to prepare myself."

"Well, all the luck to you Mark," Harry says, offering a toast with his own light beer. 

"Thanks H," Mark says, holding up with bottle too. 

"And what about you Louis? Are you currently attending uni?"

"Uhh, no not really," he says taken by surprise, "I'm currently on the making for it, working two part-jobs, even if one of them is helping my mom with her own lil' shop."

Christina turns to see Mark then, both of them sharing a look.

"Oh really?" Becca asks, "What does she sell?"

"Antiques, souvenir kind of stuff," Louis says, "She does well, especially now on holidays when the city is full of tourists."

"And what do you want to study son?" Mark says, the word  _son_  making everybody freeze for a second until Louis answers. 

"I really don't know," Louis says shrugging, "Probably literature or journalism. I've always wanted to go to New York."

"New York?" Harry asks curiously. 

"That's awesome, Louis," Christina says. 

Louis smiles and goes back to his BBQ, ignoring Harry's question and looks. 

Christina seems to feel the tension so, "Louis, would you help me to bring some plates and the cheesecake from the fridge?" she says, standing up from her chair. 

"Oh woman, we are not even finished," Mark says, obviously he has finished. 

Christina ignores him, and waits for Louis to stand up. He does, and follows Christina to the kitchen. 

"Is everything alright? What's the matter Louis?" Christina says once they arrive to the kitchen.

"Huh?" Louis asks, not really getting it. 

"You seemed off back there," Christina says, taking some plates out. "Is everything good? Did we do something to get you upset?"

"Oh," Louis says, "No no, of course not," he says shaking his head and hands. 

"I know it's a lot to take in, even in a single day," Christina says, taking the cheesecake from the fridge. "But please, if you feel uncomfortable, please let us know."

"It is indeed, a lot to take in," Louis repeats to her, "But it's fine. 

"You know, Mark always wanted a boy. There was this weird phase where he refused to believe Becca was a girl and forced her to try out for baseball and football. But then she found Harry's world - designers, fashion, clothes and magazines - and it was all down from there."

"And before today, I have never seen him so full of life, so into everything. And when he called you son just a few minutes ago, I could almost hear his big smile all over my space," Christina is on the edge of crying and Louis doesn't know what to do. Is this like a bad thing? Is Christina... jealous? 

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad," she must have seen Louis' face, "It's just that - it's only been a few hours, and we are all into you. You such an easygoing person and there's something about you, that makes everybody fall for you so easily. Not only Mark, but I can see Becca is already into you and me," she says, letting a long sigh get out of her lips, "You are such a wonderful boy. No wonder Harry loves you that much."

Now Louis is on the edge of crying. He feels his inside going all warm and he doesn't know where it's coming from, but he speaks out, "Thank you Christina, really," and he goes in for a hug, and they are sobbing quietly, and it's weird but they both are relieved that there won't be any drama. 

They separate slowly and smile to each other awkwardly, cleaning their faces from the tears lingering there, and once they are ready, they take all the things out for dessert time. 

"Thank god you are here! I wanted to do a photo, with all of us," Becca says, standing up from her chair and taking out her iPhone. 

"Only if they want to, sure," Christina says, smiling to Louis and Harry. 

"Sure," Louis says smiling to her back. 

Well, what could be wrong? Two photos of Louis and Harry in a day? Krystal said a photo of Louis on his instagram account to calm Karl's requirements would be enough, but maybe even an extra photo on someone else's instagram could be fine, too? What could be wrong about it? 

"Yeah, sure," Harry says, positioning himself between Becca and Christina. 

Louis is between Christina and Mark, a little bit tilted to the left, due to Mark's hug, both of their cheeks pressed together with wide smiles on their faces. 

Becca positions her iPhone high over her head, extending her arm, so everybody fits on the frame. 

"Ready?" she says, finding the perfect angle where everybody fits. "Three, two, one!" she says, snapping a couple of photos. 

All of Harry's photos with fans are always the same. He puts on his plastic smile, leans closer to the fan, and wait until the fan is pleased with a photo. But this one though, this one brings out from Harry a weird warm smile, catching from the screen Louis' smile and Mark's one, looking at Chirstina's hand over Harry's shoulder and Becca's funny face. 

The moment lingers for a few more seconds, like a déjà vu, feeling sparks running through his entire body. The feeling of family. Why was he suddenly so melancholy - so bitter? Because of the feeling of family. 

What could possibly go wrong? 


	19. anywhere I would have followed you

Gemma is just enjoying her Sunday evening, watching Music and Lyrics with Hugh Grant - he is like an all time hero for British girls - and she's enjoying it with a bowl of natural popcorn in her hotel room at Paris. 

The week has been rough with the people at Chanel - don't get her wrong, it's been incredible - it's just that she misses Harry so much and Karl has been nagging her about the whereabouts of her brother. 

She takes her phone and opens instagram, thinking of maybe capturing the moment of laziness but she's distracted by her feed, scrolling down through the several photos of the day by her followings. 

She stops when she notices Harry uploaded a photo - one of Louis' profile. You can appreciate Louis' long eyelashes and his cute button nose, as long as those cheekbones to die for. 

Gemma likes the photo and comments,  _Looking good! Take care boys xx._  and with that she keeps scrolling. When she ends with the remaining photos, she goes to the principal page, where she gets surprised by another photo of Harry - only this time, it's not from his account. 

Someone called  _becca.tommo_ , uploaded a photo where Harry and Louis appeared with a family. Gemma is reading now the comments and she doesn't know what to do with them. There's a lot of them only talking about Harry but there are others wondering what is the connection between the family and the two boys. 

Gemma keeps staring at the photo and she notices the arm around Louis, from the man on the photo. They are both smiling and Louis looks happy. 

What the hell is happening? Gemma hasn't spoke to Harry since that last time and she seriously needs an update. Harry never told her about his plans or about... meeting this family. 

Gemma goes for her laptop and starts it, trying to know more about this family. She doesn't think it's Louis' family... because for starters, the mother doesn't even look like Louis at all. 

She opens the girl's instagram account on her browser and looks at her name. Becca Tomlinson. Well, she sure has the same last name as Louis. She looks at the comments and catches another name, Mark Tomlinson. There are comments like,  _I didn't know the mayor knew Harry!_ ,  _Who's that guy with the mayor?_ and  _A desperate campaign move, isn't it_?

She searches for Mark Tomlinson at Google and she finally gets results. She decides to call Harry after looking at a couple of articles and news about Mark. 

\--------------------

_*muffled sound and a bit of static* "Hey Gems!"_

_"'Ello little brother, how are you?"_

_"Just fine, how about you?"_

_"Good, lazy sunday thing. Where are you?"_

_"With Louis."_

_"I asked, where..."_

_"It's complicated."_

_"Harry, I saw the photo."_

_"The photo of Louis?"_

_"The photo of Louis' family."_

_"What?"_

_"You are all over the internet. Becca uploaded it."_

_"Shit. What are they saying?"_

_"Right now, there's not a single article about it, but there's people commenting about being a move for Mark's campaign and trying to connect the dots."_

_"Oh fuck."_

_"You better tell them and warn them."_

_"What about Karl? Has he said something?"_

_"Not yet. I'm actually waiting for his call or something. If he contacts you, please tell me asap."_

_"Okay then. Sorry Gems."_

_"Don't worry bro. Just, be careful."_

_"Always."_

\--------------------  

With that, they hang up. Leaving Gemma worried. And just like magic, her phone starts buzzing, this time a call from Karl Lagerfeld personal assistant. 

"Hello?" Gemma answers. 

"Miss Gemma, how are you?" the lady - Danielle, if she remembers well - answers on the other line. 

"Good, good thanks," Gemma says, trying to play cool. 

"Mr. Lagerfeld just told me to contact you to inform you he needs you and Mr. Harry tomorrow morning in his office," Danielle says with all the calm of the world. 

"What? Tomorrow morning? I don't know, Harry -,"

"He says it's important and it should be tomorrow," this time, Danielle says it more firmly and serious. 

"Ok - okay then, we will see you then," Gemma says, shocked by the sudden coolness running through her body. 

"Thanks," and with that, Danielle hangs up. 

-

After his call with Gemma, Harry returns to the garden table with the Tomlinson, still out in the garden even if the sun is setting down. 

"Who was that?" Louis asks subtly to Harry, "Is everything alright?"

Harry looks at him and shakes his head, trying to smile so it doesn't sound like a big deal, "Uhmm - Mr. Tomlinson?"

Mark stops the conversation with his wife to turn to Harry, "Harry, I told you, you can call me Mark," he says, smiling politely and then nodding to let Harry speak.

"Just wanted to tell you that - the photo we took earlier - uhmmm... well, Becca upload it and now it's causing some stir through social media."

Louis looks surprised to Harry, not entirely getting why would it be such a big deal until Mark speaks up. 

"Becca?" he says, turning to see the girl beside Christina, her mother, "What have you done?"

"Nothing!" she says, with wide eyes, "I just uploaded the photo!"

"Becca," the mother breathes, looking at the phone between the girl's hands. 

"You should have asked us first to see if they had any inconvenience," Mark says, standing up from his chair and going for the girl's phone. 

He grabs the phone from Becca and sees the photo, as well as the comments, "Oh shit, Becca."

Mark locks the phone and puts it away in his pocket, gaining complains from his daughter. 

Mark seems deeply frustrated and a bit angry, already pacing around trying to figure out the whole thing, while Becca keeps complaining and Harry stands up. 

Louis is still frozen in place, not even understanding what is happening. 

"What's wrong? I don't understand," Louis asks to Harry, not receiving an answer.

Becca keeps complaining that she didn't know and that she was just doing it innocently while Mark keeps pacing around, already taking out his phone and checking the few texts and emails he got. 

"Becca, please go to your room, we will fix this," Christina says, trying to sound as calm as possible. 

"But mum!" Becca tries to complain but then he sees his dad's angry look and stands up, defeated and with no other option. 

"Someone tell me what's going?" Louis asks again, but now at everyone in general because apparently, Harry is now on his phone again, reading probably a text he received. 

"The photo, Louis," Mark says, being more soft with him in comparison that earlier with his daughter, "It's now talking about how Harry is probably just here as a campaign move for me and people is wondering who are you and since, well," Mark sits down beside Louis again, calmer this time, "Since you and Harry have been going out, people are saying you were just someone hired by me to bring Harry to make some promotion."

Louis takes the information, trying to process it and just nods, not even entirely sure what this means for him. 

"I have to get back," Harry says all of the sudden, awakening Louis from his trance. 

"Uhh - okay let's go back to the hotel and figure things out -,"

"I have to get back, to London," Harry says interrupting Louis, "Gemma just texted me and told me Karl Lagerfeld wants us tomorrow morning in his office."

"Us?" Louis asks, not understanding. 

"Me and Gemma," oh, okay.

Mark and Christina look at each other, understanding the awkward situation. 

"Why don't you guys go back to the hotel to sort everything out and if you need anything - and we mean it, anything - just call us as soon as possible," Christina says, offering a genuine smile to both of them, trying to relax the environment. 

Harry nods then, returning the polite smile, "Sure, thanks," he starts to pick up things and gather the trash, when Christina stops him, "I'm sorry for the whole inconvenience."

"It wasn't your fault," Mark says, giving him a reassuring smile, "And you know," he says now to Louis, already up in his feet, ready to go, "You are welcome any time you want, yeah?"

"Thanks," Louis says with a sad smile. 

Thing is, Louis was enjoying today. He finally felt like he belonged somewhere and even if the guilt inside of him was eating him alive because of the thought of his mother, he couldn't help to smile every time his father called him son. 

Louis goes for a hug then, putting his arms around Mark's body, the man holding him too, giving him a small sad smile. 

He doesn't notice it, but Louis starts sobbing, holding tighter and shaking his head. No, he didn't want to go. This is his father and even if he wasn't there for the first twenty years of his life, he has wanted to meet him all this time and he knows it wasn't his fault to be absent all this time - and somehow, the guilt for his mother decreases because, it was her fault - and this past hours he just happened to fall in love with him, okay? He loves his father. 

Harry places a hand in Louis' back, whispering, "We have to go."

Louis relaxes then, stopping the tears and inhales that clean scent of his father one last time before he lets go. 

"You know where to find me, yeah? I just have to deal with this," Mark says to him, eyes about to burst, clearly pained as Louis, "Everything will be alright, son."

With that, Harry and Louis are out of the house, cab already waiting for them - Harry probably called one when Louis was with Mark - and they go then to the hotel. 

Somehow, people and paparazzis found Harry's hotel and now there's a mob outside waiting for them. 

"Oh shit," Harry says desperate, kind of angry too. 

"What are we going to do?" Louis says, looking at Harry's face. 

"Just keep walking behind me and don't stop," Harry says taking his hand, "Don't stop and don't listen. Keep walking with your head low. Don't stop."

And Harry opens the door to the cab. 

And flashes start snapping at them. 

And Harry is out with Louis behind him, hands tight together. 

And there are girls shouting for Harry's name. 

And there's more flashes. 

And there's people calling Louis out. 

And there's people calling Harry out. 

And there's more flashes. 

And Louis hears some things. 

And he turns around.

And Harry reaches the door to the hotel, security holding up for him, stopping the rest of the peole from entering. 

And Louis hears more things. 

And then they are inside. 

"Are you okay?" Harry says, not stopping, walking to the lift. 

"Yea - yeah, I'm fine," Louis is still shocked by the amount of flashes and all the noise.

They get up to their room, Louis still trying to process the whole thing that happened down there while Harry opens his laptop, already typing with such hectic.

"I'm going to take a quick shower," Louis says, receiving only a  mumble from Harry along with a nod. 

Louis enters the bathroom then, feeling cold all of the sudden. 

-

_Harry Styles spotted in Doncaster - read all about his new boyfriend_

_Harry Styles and Mark Tomlinson - PR stunt or a really good campaign?_

_Mark Tomlinson takes first place in new poll above everyone else_

_Mark Tomlinson and Harry's newest catch - THE TOMLINSON SECRET_

Every time Harry scrolled down the Google searches, it was getting worse. Never in his wildest dreams, he thought it would be a problem to upload a single photo. And they are not even talking about his photo of Louis - well yes, they were only because that confirmed the relationship - but the were talking about Becca's photo. 

It was still on her instagram, because there was no point on erasing it now. It was obvious they had to clear some things up to the media but that would have to be deal by Mark's manager and Krystal. 

Just as Harry was closing all the tabs now, Louis' phone started to ring. Louis was still in the shower, so Harry lean over the phone to see who was calling. Jay. 

Harry takes the phone and answers, "Hello?"

"How dare you take Louis over there?! Who gave you the right to do this? I trusted you, I trusted you!"

Jay is screaming into the phone to Harry, and she probably never thought Harry would answer, but in the second Harry answered the phone, she was ready to attack. 

"I'm - I'm sorry I never thought -,"

"Exactly! You didn't think! Do you know for how much time I have been hiding all the information? Have you ever wondered how difficult it was for me to raise Louis knowing there was his dad somewhere else wanting to have a son?"

"You obviously didn't know. You know how many times I have waken up in the middle of the night, decided to give up, because sooner or later, everyone would find out, but then I said to myself,  _No, don't do it, Louis deserves better,_  so I have to swallow all my needs and decide to protect Louis at all costs because he doesn't deserve this. He doesn't! All this time, I tried to stopped him from being part of the media, because they would have treated him like just another piece of information for more money. And everything was perfect, we avoided it perfectly until you arrived and messed up everything!"

Jay is now crying into the phone and Harry doesn't know what to say. He obviously didn't think about it, because Louis never portrayed it that difficult. Louis only wanted to know something else apart from Cardiff, and Harry was ready to show him more. 

"Just so you know," Harry says with his softest voice ever, speaking to the phone, "Louis and Mark bonded perfectly. They are ready to let things in the past."

"Do not try to tell me how to live my life! Do not try to - to pretend you know more about Louis than I do! Because what? You got to spend with him three days, now you feel part of his life? You obviously don't know family problems, you just think with money and fame, you can fix it all, don't you?" Jay is still crying into the phone, shouting to Harry all angry. 

Harry lets out a bitter laugh, shaking his head, "No ma'am, I don't know a single thing about family problems."

If Jay had been listening closer or if she hadn't been crying, she could have noted the sarcasm in Harry's voice. 

"You better bring Louis right now to Cardiff, or I swear to you I will sue you for taking my child against my will!" Jay's words keep getting through Harry's head, hurting and hurting. 

"I will," Harry says calmly, this time all of the emotions fading out of his body, "But just remember Louis will be 21 next December. He's not a child anymore. And if you continue being this possessive and controlling over her, he will leave you."

 "And you think he will be better with you? Because you have money and unlimited resources? Tell me Harry, how did Louis deal with paparazzis? What are the magazines saying about him? You think you can protect him? You are a child, you don't know better. Don't be selfish and think about him too."

Harry freezes at what Jay says, something in his brain finally clicking. She's right. He can't protect Louis. And tomorrow morning when he has to see Karl, everything will blow up. 

And somehow, Harry knew this back at the Tomlinson house, with Mark and Christina. That's why he reacted that way. That's why he can't bring Louis to London. 

Jay exhales through the phone after the long silence, knowing she made Harry think about it all. 

"Just - just do whatever is best for him," Jay says defeated, her voice showing tiredness after all the crying and shouting, "Don't tell him I called."

And with that, Jay hangs up. 

Harry leaves Louis' phone where it was and he starts packing everything in their suitcases, except for his laptop. Once everything is done, he takes his laptop and decides to go down to the lobby. 

-

Louis comes out of the shower, more calmed and relaxed than before, but when he looks at the neat clean room, he doesn't find Harry. 

He takes his suitcase and opens it, taking out some joggers and a white t-shirt. He closes the suitcase again and places it beside Harry's one. 

He lies in the bed then, turning on the TV and taking his phone from the night stand. He opens Facebook then, and he has tons of friend requests. His inbox is full as well as his notifications. Fuck his life. 

He searches Zayn's profile and types him a message. Zayn takes just a few minutes to answer back.

————————————- 

Louis Tomlinson: hi mate

Zayn Malik: hey stranger

Louis Tomlinson: shut up

Zayn Malik: luv you

Louis Tomlinson: so hows everything?

Zayn Malik: mad, Geoff is going crazy because the store has received a lot of attention 

Louis Tomlinson: oh bullocks

Zayn Malik: he actually loves you, because sales had been great so maybe your paycheck will be bigger next month

Louis Tomlinson: oh well

Zayn Malik: hows everything there?

Louis Tomlinson: well, weird. i met my dad, everything was cool, but now harry has to go back to london, idk if i will go with him or just like, he's gonna leave me here?

Zayn Malik: oh shit thats bad

Louis Tomlinson: yeah well, i wouldnt mind spend more time with me dad you know, he was really cool and everything. even his wife and daughter. 

Zayn Malik: what about jay?

————————————- 

The door to the room opens and Harry enters, his laptop and a couple of papers under his arm.

"Hey," Louis says, leaving his phone and standing up to meet Harry with a kiss. It's short and quick.

"Here's your ticket to Cardiff," Harry says, putting a piece of paper on the bed, then going to his suitcase to put away his laptop, "I have to go to London."

The coldness in Harry's voice is what makes Louis doubt. There's something different in his eyes as well, but Louis can't put into words the difference. 

"Oh," it's the only thing Louis can say.

Harry is finally in front of Louis, looking at the floor, "You know, today was great," Harry says smiling, "Except for the photo thing."

Louis gives him a short nod, not understanding a single thing. 

"Thank you for letting me be part of this," Harry says looking at him this time, no smile, just serious, "But it's time to go back and fix things."

Harry starts gathering their things, ready to go down to the lobby, "My plane leaves in four hours but yours leaves in two, so let's go."

Louis obeys, not really understanding the whole thing, this coldness and seriousness Harry is showing towards him, but he obeys. 

The ride to the airport is silent and Harry is typing things into his phone the whole ride while Louis silently says goodbye to Doncaster. 

Somehow, he feels like he belongs there, like he shouldn't be going that soon, that Doncaster has so much more to offer him. 

They arrive to the airport and there's a lot of traffic there for being a Sunday night. Luckily, everybody is on their own business, so they don't recognize Harry. 

Even then, Harry decides to rent a private lounge while they wait for Louis plane to be called. Having Harry Styles, comes with a lot of perks: one of them is let other do all the paper work for suitcases and stuff. 

They are now sitting on the little sofas, less than twenty minutes for Louis' plane to take off, none of them able to speak since the hotel room. 

Louis turns to look at Harry finally, after avoiding eye contact all this time, trying to figure out the curly boy and the change on his state. 

Harry notices and he can't take it anymore. He has to fix this. He sighs before speaking up. 

"I need to go to London," Harry says - again. 

"I know," Louis says, still soft and quiet. 

"I have to fix all of this, I have - I," Harry says, words not coming out of his mouth. 

"I know," Louis says again, "I know you have to deal with the drama of the picture. I get it."

"No," Harry says shaking his head, "Not just that. I - I messed up. I - I shouldn't have done any of this, I -," he shakes his head again, with a bitter smile on his face, "I came to you and messed your life and now I'm messing with my career and I should have thought this better... I - I don't think," Harry has to stop himself before continuing, looking at Louis' blue beautiful eyes one more time, "I don't think I'm good for you."

"What are you talking about?" Louis says, his voice suddenly getting desperate. 

"I clearly messed up with your life, not to mention your private life, along with your father's one and I - I'm messing up with my career and Gemma's."

"But like, it was one single mistake," Louis says, trying to reach Harry's hand but he flinches.

"No, it was a huge mistake. I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have brought you here."

"We can fix this Harry, we will fix this," Louis says, desperately trying to touch Harry. But Harry doesn't let him. 

"NO!" Harry says, shaking his head, "There's no  _we_. I don't want you to help me," Harry says, standing up from the couch, "I'm going to fix this alone just, please stay away from this."

"Why are you all of the sudden so mad at me?" Louis snaps at Harry, finally, "What have I done to you? Is it really that bad all the mess going on for you to hate me so much?"

"Yes, it is!" Harry shouts back, "We messed everything and now I have to fix it, because you can't!"

"Well, I'm sorry for not being able to do anything except you don't even tell me how to help!"

"Because you can't help!" Harry says, trying to control the tears desperately trying to come out, "You are only going to make it worst."

"I seriously can't understand," Louis says, his eyes stinging, trying to hold back, "Why are you being like this?"

"Don't you see it? It was a mistake, I shouldn't have come to Cardiff," Harry says shaking, "I shouldn't have met you."

The words cut through Louis' chest like cold knives and he burst out - not crying, but shouting back at Harry, finally loosing at the control he had. 

"I didn't even want you to come! You did it by yourself! I didn't even fucking know who you were!"

"That's the thing you know," Harry says more calmly, "I have been the one to put everything into  _this -_ whatever this is," Harry says, motioning between the two of them. 

"So that's it? This is over? Only because apparently I messed up?" Louis says, can't holding the tears anymore, sobbing softly, "You don't even want to try? Like, you're giving up after a few days?"

Harry can't stand Louis' sight, but he has to. 

"Be safe on your ride home," Harry says, giving one last smile to Louis before he gets out of the private lounge, leaving Louis all on his own. 

It's time for Louis to get on board of the plane, and he just can't move. Harry's words are still lingering on his ears and he feels his mouth dry.

There's one last call to all the passengers with destiny to Cardiff and Louis' feet start moving even if his mind it's not properly processing things.

He gets on then - with Harry buying him first class seat - looking at the window, not entirely sure of what all that happened means to him.

Then other people is passing by him in order to get to their seats and he keeps looking at the window.

Over there, far away, where the airport has glass walls, he is almost sure Harry is the one looking at the plane, just for a few seconds, before he's gone.

It's time to go to Cardiff.


	20. you brought out the best of me, a part of me I've never seen

When Louis arrived Cardiff, everything seemed different. From the people to the weather, it just looked somehow melancholic to Louis. Maybe it was the cloudy weather. Maybe it was the wind making everybody passive. Maybe it was because Harry left without him. 

He arrives to his house around 2 am in the morning, and surprisingly, Jay is waiting for him on the living room. 

"Mum?" Louis asks surprised, not even expecting her to be up so late. 

"Thank God you're here," Jay says, coming closer to him and hugging him. 

"What - how did you know?" Louis says, hugging her as well. 

Jay doesn't answer but she asks another question, "Are you okay?"

"Yes mum, everything's fine," he says, stepping away from her hug. It's not like he didn't want to talk to his mother right now but - okay yes, he didn't want to talk with his mother right now. He wants to be alone. 

Jay watches her son closely and she can't help to ask, "Where's Harry?"

That makes Louis turns around and see her.

"He went back to London," he says quietly. 

"Because of the photo?" Jay asks. 

"You know about the photo?" Louis asks, surprised. 

"Everyone knows," Jay says nodding, "How's your father?" she asks this with her voice more serious. 

"He - he is fine," he says, not really knowing what to do. 

"What did he say?" she asks again, with the same tone. 

"Well - he was nice, he, uhmm - he took the whole thing very well... He  was cool," Louis says, scratching the back of his neck. 

"Huh," Jay says, still serious. 

"You know, he is fine with it - with our relationship," Louis says, "He wants to be in my life and I want to be in his."

"Oh, well too bad," Jay says, shrugging. 

"What do you mean too bad?" Louis asks a bit defensive. 

"You are not seriously thinking about it, are you?" Jay asks indignant. 

"What would be so wrong about it? He is my father after all," Louis says, getting desperate from his mother's attitude. 

"Biologically, yeah," Jay says, getting angry, "But he was never here, he doesn't even know you."

"If he had known me before, we wouldn't be having this discussion," Louis says, raising the tone of his voice, "And he wants to know me. He has the right to know me!"

"He has the right to leave us alone and not intrude in our lives!"

"I want him to intrude in my life, he is my father!"

"You know what? We are not even having this discussion right now," Jay says, pinching the bridge of her nose, "It's late and I'm tired."

"You're right, there's no point of having this discussion," Louis says bitterly, "Because it's not your decision, it's mine."

Louis doesn't wait, leaving Jay there calling his name, and runs upstairs, closing the door of his room and throwing himself in bed. 

He can't contain them anymore, so he starts crying, tears spilling everywhere in his pillow, leaving it damp. 

Everything hurts. His head hurts. His eyes hurts. His heart hurts. 

It's like a progressive fire inside of him spreading through his entire body. He wants to scream and he wants to cry. 

He wishes he could hug Harry right now, but the moment he thinks about it, his heart starts aching more and the crying deepens. The headache he has is too strong and he can barely keep his eyes open.

After several minutes, finally, Louis falls asleep, dry tears on his cheeks and shoes still on. 

When he wakes up, he is welcomed with the smell of eggs and bacon coming from the kitchen. It's barely 7 AM and he remembers then that he has to go to work. His ordinary life back. 

He changes quickly - not wanting to take a shower, only washing his face - and he goes downstairs. 

"Morning," Jay says when she sees him, "How did you sleep?"

Louis doesn't answer, just mumbles out something. 

"You know," Jay says after a long sigh, "I think you are right."

Louis turns around to see her, "It's your life and you decide what to do with it."

Louis nods, "Thank you."

"I wanted to protect you but I guess the fear made me forget what actually was best for you. You are a grown-up now, and you have to decide for yourself. You have to make your own mistakes."

Louis smiles to her softly, "Thanks for protecting me mum," he says, "But yeah, I should make my own mistakes and learn from them."

"I talked to your father yesterday," Jay says, with a hint of sadness, "I couldn't sleep because I heard you crying so I decided to confront him. But the moment I heard his voice, everything fitted into place. He worries about you, and he told me he was going to come clean for the media about you. He decided to not mention Harry unless you wanted; and he wanted you to know that you are free to do whatever you want."

"You can go to Doncaster if you want, he is willing to support you on whatever you decide to do and he wanted you to know that you're welcome there whenever you want," Jay finishes almost tearing up and Louis quickly moves to comfort her, hugging her to his chest. 

"Mum," he says, petting her head, trying to comfort her, "Thank you so much for everything you have done - but I really want to explore and have my own adventures. Nevertheless," he says, now taking her by her shoulders, lifting her face by her chin, "I want you to know that at the end, I will always come back to you."

She smiles then and gives him another hug, tears still spilling everywhere. 

Jay thinks back to yesterday Harry telling her how Louis has grown up so much - even in these last few days with Harry - even from before, Jay suspects, from way back when they started emailing each other,  "You are a grown up now."

"Yeah well," Louis shrugs, "I'm a mamma's boy so," he says with a wide smile on his face, "See you later!"

-

Last night, after Harry arrived to London, Gemma explained everything to him. Karl was angry at him for not following his orders and he wanted to talk to both of them. 

Sure, Harry didn't follow her orders, but only because he wanted Louis to be part of a deal they never even discussed and Louis' life was private. Was. 

They are now on a cab heading to the London Chanel office, because that's where they are meeting Karl. There are tons of paparazzis waiting outside the building - probably the whole rumours spread around and now everybody wanted an exclusive. Harry can only think of the busy Monday morning Krystal is dealing with. He promise to himself to give her some days off after this whole thing. 

"What if he doesn't want to work with us any longer?" Gemma says, playing with her fingers over her lap. 

"I don't know," Harry says, waiting inside the cab. 

"I'm not blaming you for any of this," Gemma says, trying to reassure Harry, "But I'm really scared of Karl."

"Me too," he says, giving her a sad smile. It's time. 

They get off the cab and flashes start snapping everywhere. Gemma Styles and Harry Styles, together after the big scandal. Harry can almost see the headlines. 

They enter the building after passing through the paparazzis with the help of some security, walking to the lobby. 

"Mr. Lagerfeld is ready to see you both," the lady from the lobby says, not even turning her head to see them. 

"Thank you," Gemma says politely and walks to the lift. 

Harry follows her and they both enter the lift, pressing the last button. 

Just like that time they came to meet Karl for the first time, they are both nervous and expecting bad news. 

The lift opens and the same open space from last time is insight. To Gemma, it's a bit familiar with the rooms back in Paris where she worked for the last week. 

Karl Lagerfeld is already expecting them in one of the chairs. Harry tries to cough awkwardly to get his attention but it's not until he turns around with an exasperated sigh that he notices them. 

"Oh, you are here," he says with a neutral face, "Thought you guys wouldn't come."

They both awkwardly come closer to him and sit on some chairs near the one Karl was sitting down before. 

"So," Karl says after they are all seated, "How's Cardiff? How's Wolverhampton? How's Doncaster? How's the moon?"

Oh, so Harry starts. 

"Pretty good, thanks," Harry says with all honesty. 

"And how's our little new friend," Karl says, stopping before saying his name, "Louis?"

"He's good, back at Cardiff now," Harry says, trying not to sound so cold. 

"Yeah I know," Karl says with a faint smile on his face, "Saw his photos earlier this morning when he was leaving his house to work."

Harry furrows his brows at that. He didn't know about that. 

"There's paparazzis over there?" Harry asks, getting a little defensive. 

"I didn't send them, honestly," Karl says putting his hands up in defence, "But yeah, some of them. Just a couple."

Harry nods at that, still thinking about Louis having to deal with it all alone. 

"So, you wanted both of us?" Gemma speaks up for the first time in forever and Karl has to literally stop gazing at Harry to see her. 

"Oh yeah, hello Gemma," he says with a smirk on his face. 

"Hey Karl," she says, a little bit less shy than she expected. Than any of them expected. 

"So this is the deal guys," Karl says, going to the point, "I felt overly betrayed the way Harry managed all of this," he says, looking at Harry with some sort of resentment, "He didn't let any of my paps work and I didn't get the exclusive of the first photo of Louis and you; but I rather got a blurry low quality photo of a teenage girl and it didn't work for me but it worked for the soon-to-be mayor of Doncaster, Mark Tomlinson. Now tell me, how can I work with that?"

Harry tries to weight down all his options. Basically, he can tell the truth: Harry wanted Louis to finally meet his dad, but that doesn't work for Karl. He could maybe make something up, but he didn't more lies in his life and he still felt guilty about lying to Louis - because obviously, he wanted to be with Louis as much as Louis with him, but he knew Louis would be better off without him. 

"Thing is," Gemma is the one to speak, surprising both of them, "I send Harry to Doncaster myself."

"Really?" Karl asks surprised, still uncertain. 

"I sent him there," Gemma says, probably still trying to bring something up, "To look for new inspiration."

Wow, that was quick.

"Inspiration?" Karl asks again. 

"Back in Paris with you and your team I felt the incredibly necessity of more than just Paris," Gemma says. Karl is about to say something, probably like  _WHAT? JUST PARIS?_  but Gemma interrupts him, "I know Paris is great for designers and it's everyone's inspiration but that's the problem, don't you see? Paris is now everyone's inspiration and I needed new, fresh ideas before I ended up with the same stuff like everyone else."

Karl doesn't say a thing immediately, but nods, trying to comprehend, "And then it turned out Harry had been messaging with Louis the whole time and we took the opportunity. But when Harry got there, Louis asked him to go with him to meet his dad and while it was still not sure for Harry, I agreed and let him do it because it only meant new inspiration and different styles."

"And how am I supposed to know this is real?" Karl says, looking at Harry's shocked face. 

"Well, you can see it on my designs and new stuff," Gemma says shrugging mindlessly. 

Gemma Styles was killing it. Harry reminded himself to never forget how awesome his sister was. 

"Harry, is that true?" Karl turns back to see him. 

"Yeah," Harry doesn't even know where he got the strength to answer but he did, "Yeah, I was. Actually, I was talking to Gemma back in the cab earlier about a possible new model for the line. Not that I don't want to work with you, but let's be honest - if you pair me up with Cara, it's practically like watching the same human being with different clothes. We are so alike - same eyes, same skin tone and similarish features - that it wouldn't highlight some of the best pieces. So I got someone better."

Now Gemma is the one with wide eyes and she's just waiting to see what Harry is supposed to do. 

"Well, and who is it?" Karl asks, being now interested. 

"Thing is, I didn't go back to Cardiff after Doncaster to ask him for proper shoots. But his name is Zayn. Zayn Malik."

Karl thinks this for a bit and turns to see both  of them in front of him. 

"Also, he was incredibly good fashion sense and he has a lot of new ideas as well, so probably he's going to work a lot while here. He was so excited to know Gemma was even my sister and he's been following every step of the fashion world since he has memory so, you won't regret it about him."

Harry finishes with what he thinks it's going to be enough for Karl. And it is. 

"Okay then, let's do something," Karl says, moving a bit on his chair, "You go back to Cardiff and bring this boy back. I won't pay for anything until I see him and approve him, so everything will be pay for you both until I give you a green light."

"Perfect," Gemma says, nodding so quickly Harry thinks her head is going to fall off, "We will do sir."

"And while you're there, try to grab the inspiration by yourself Gemma," he says, rolling his eyes, "Photos are not even enough like the real world."

"Will do, Karl," Gemma says smiling faintly. 

So it's a deal there. Harry has to bring Zayn to London. Only Zayn?

"One more thing though," Karl says, before the siblings got any opportunity to even stand up, "What's going to happen with Louis?"

"Ehhh," Harry says, taken by surprise. 

"Did you just leave him? Or is he coming here too?" Karl asks, interrupting Harry's thoughts. 

"He's coming with us," Gemma says, "But he will work for us at the office."

"Oh, okay then," Karl says nodding, "He's a pretty boy. I wouldn't mind seeing him with you."

Harry is speechless, so Gemma nods and smiles, taking him by his arm, "He is," she says before standing up, "Thank you sir, we will definitely be here by Wednesday."

"I expect nothing less, Gemma," Karl says, standing up as well, "Harry, I hope you are right about this kid Zayn."

Harry nods and tries to smile. Gemma drags Harry with him to the lift and waves a final time to Karl, "Thanks Karl!"

The lift opens and they both enter, not even turning to say goodbye to Karl when the lift closes again. 

"Jesus, you should see yourself right now," Gemma says, sighing loudly at that, "You are the most pale I have ever seen you in years."

"We are bringing Louis as well?" Harry manages to say. 

"H, I know you care for him," Gemma says with guilty eyes, "And I know you left him there because you were afraid of what might had happened earlier, but everything turned out good, yeah? And I don't know if you really love him but - I don't know, it's your choice really."

And thing is, Harry really loves him. Harry loves Louis so so much. But he messed up. He messed up really bad and there was no way he could ever fix it. 

Well, good thing they are going to Cardiff. 

"I messed up," Harry says then, the doors of the lift opening again at the lobby, "I messed with Louis."

"So what?" Gemma says stepping out, "You're not going to fix it?"

Harry takes that personally and flinches, "It's not that easy."

"It is, it's not difficult," Gemma says. 

"Right, like the thing we have with mum?" Harry snaps at her before leaving the building. 

Gemma takes a few steps back and turns to see Harry, "That's... different. It was her choice and not ours. She didn't reach out."

"We didn't either," Harry says softly, "I saw Ella, back in Doncaster. She said mum missed us and that we should call her."

Gemma nods at that, "Do you want to call her?"

"I want to visit her," Harry says ever so softly, "I miss her so much and I know you probably don't miss her. But I do. And back when we were in Cardiff and I saw how deeply Jay cared for Louis, I started to realize, that mother have a weird way of loving their children. I want to visit her, before going with Louis."

Gemma thinks for a while and exhales finally, "We will visit her then," she says after a few seconds, "But the moment she starts being rude, I'll go."

"Yeah me too," Harry says with a small smile, "But we have to try, right?"

"Right," Gemma says, giving up. 

"So let's go then," Harry says, offering his hand to Gemma, "Us two against the world, huh? All over again."

"To infinity and beyond," Gemma says nodding. 

"Ugh, so cliché," Harry jokes and wins a soft slap on his arm from Gemma. 

"You're always the one with cliché ideas," Gemma says. 

"Yeah," Harry says nodding, "I am."

-

_"Hey dad."_

_"Louis! Son, how are you?"_

_"Could be better, you?"_

_"Good, good. Everything's solved now."_

_"Really?... How so?"_

_"Well, Harry's office called me and I give out a statement a few hours ago. Basically, everybody is going to know you're my son. And a lot of business basically, but Harry's team will handle it."_

_"Ah... did you speak with Harry?"_

_"... No, sorry son."_

_"It's okay."_

_"How's your mom?"_

_"She's okay now. She told me you both talked."_

_"Yeah, she told me you are allowed to come and visit."_

_"Yeah."_

_"Well, you are welcome whenever you want."_

_"Thanks dad, but I'll wait until everything calms before anything. There was actually people following me around earlier with cameras taking photos."_

_"That's the life of a famous person."_

_"I guess."_

_"Are you really comfortable with everyone knowing you are my son?"_

_"Yeah, it's not that."_

_"It's Harry."_

_"It's Harry."_

_"Well, I hope the best for you son, but I have to get back to work."_

_"Okay."_

_"See you soon."_

_"Thanks dad."_

_"... Love you son."_

_"... Love you too."_


	21. the start of something else

WhatsApp

Tuesday - July 23 2013 - 8:12 am

Harold:  _online_

Harold:  _typing..._

Louis T.: 

Harold:  _typing..._

Harold: _typing..._

Harold: _typing..._  

Harold: 

Louis T.:

Louis T.:  _online_

Harold:

Louis T.:  _typing...  
_

Louis T.:

Harold:  _typing..._

Harold:

-

Louis was back at the Forelsket shop, early morning and cloudy day. For being summer, it was sure a weird day, but Louis didn't really care about the weather. He has been trying to think of someone to type Harry since last night and now, either it was Louis' imagination, but Harry was also trying to type something. 

It was kind of stressing but minutes passed, and Harry never sent anything. Oh well. 

It was just the first hour of his shift and it appeared to be calm. Not like yesterday. 

The moment he stepped out of his house, he was all day surrounded by two, three, five paparazzis all day. It was actually kind of annoying. 

But now, once he stepped out of his house, there was not a single one - not even stalking him behind trees or trash bins. 

He is seriously hungry now though, so he is just waiting for the taco truck from in front of the shop to open. 

He remembers now the time Zayn spilled all his taco over his shirt and Louis had to give his uniform to Zayn. He doesn't remember the t-shirt he grabbed from the store and if he even returned -

Oh no. That's the day he met Harry. That's how he first met Harry. He remember now, the guy who he tripped with when he got out of his shift, when he was riding his skateboard. He remembers. 

And all of the sudden, he feels melancholic. That's the only thing he's left with. Oops and hi. 

He hasn't been able to skate since he returned, because the baby blue wheels makes him remember about Harry. He doesn't play piano anymore, because all Louis can think about is how Harry told him he loved Bach and Louis had promised to play for him  _Prelude in C Major_  but of course, that never happened. 

It's been two days, and Louis couldn't even use his laptop, because he is afraid to keep waiting for an e-mail that's never going to arrive. 

He is now silently sobbing because he can't deal with it anymore. He didn't know Harry would impact his life so much but now that he has, the only thing he wants is him to be back. 

He needs to make everything right, for once - to stand up for himself and making everything right. 

Realization hits him so hard that he has to stop crying. He knows how to handle this. He knows what he needs to do. He is going to fix this and if everything goes right, his heart will be calmed once again. 

-

The moment Harry woke up, he knew what he had to do. He had to send a text to Louis. Not only to tell him he's going back to Cardiff, but to explain the news. 

But, after he left Louis alone at the airport back at Doncaster, he couldn't find a way to talk to Louis again. 

He tried to send him a text this morning but then he saw Louis was online and he tried to type something as well - but finally, none of them send a damn thing. 

Gemma agreed to go with Harry to Cardiff - not only for moral support, but because she actually needed to see Zayn, you know? For the Chanel agreement with Karl Lagerfeld. 

"H, we have to go now," Gemma says coming closer to Harry on his bed, "We either go now or we are going to get stuck in traffic and arrive late to the train station."

Yes, they are on their way to Cardiff. 

Harry takes of all his belongings and a small suitcase with him, following Gemma to the lobby of their building to meet with the taxi driver waiting for them. 

"Are you nervous?" Gemma says, giving their suitcases to the driver. 

"Sort of. Just anxious. I haven't spoke with Louis since - well, since the day I left him and now I feel weird going there without telling him."

"Harry, it was just two days ago," Gemma says, touching his arms to sooth him, "I know things are still a bit tense between you two but it's not late to fix things up."

And Gemma was right. It wasn't too late. 

They arrived to the station just in time for them to check their tickets and prepare everything - even if they were only two suitcases and small ones - and run to the platform where the plane would be leaving. 

There wasn't a lot of people there, so no massive crowds where waiting for them - actually, just a couple of people recognize them, especially Harry, and with a couple of subtle photos they were left alone for their trip. 

"You know," Gemma says, once they are boarding the train, "I feel almost excited about this little trip. I've never been to Wales before."

"Oh well," Harry shrugs with a little smile, "Cardiff is good. Way to good. It's sunny there but the air is chill - kind of complicated to be honest, but sometimes it's even just warm and when walking along the beach, all that chill air is salty and it just hit you right on the face."

"That looks way like nothing to London," Gemma says smiling.

"Yeah, no," Harry shakes his head, "Nothing to London."

"Besides," Gemma says, "There's no Louis Tomlinson back in London."

Harry turns to see her with that little cheeky smile of her and smiles her back, knowing she will be there for him. 

The train starts then, with Gemma and Harry side by side with two hours and a bit for them before they go back to Cardiff. 

Two hours and a bit. 

- 

"Zayn, you got to help me with this, you're the one that knows how to deal with this things," Louis says through the phone. 

"Louis, we don't even know if it's going to work," Zayn says, still laying in his bed, "How do you know he will see it?"

"Because Mark agreed to help me with it," Louis says, sounding kind of hopeful. Kind of. 

Zayn thinks about it for a second before nodding. Then he remembers Louis is not there and he has to speak, "Okay yeah, see you in the shop in twenty minutes."

"I'll see you in fifteen then!" Louis says with gleeful voice, before hanging up. 

When Zayn arrives to the shop, he finds Louis desperately trying on different shirts - brand new shirts from the shop. 

"What in the name of Allah are you doing?" Zayn says, arriving with Louis with his professional Canon camera. 

"Did you bring your camera?" Louis asks, not turning to see Zayn. 

Zayn sighs and nods, before replying, "Yes," he says, showing it even if Louis isn't looking. 

"Good," Louis says, taking a baseball tee, white with navy blue, "You will be recording."

"Of course," Zayn says, rolling his eyes. Zayn is not so sure about this plan, but as always, Louis was the boss here. 

Louis prepares himself and arranges his hair before coming closer to Zayn, "I'm ready."

"Okay then," Zayn says, taking his camera and turning it on. 

They are positioned somewhere against in a brick wall, Louis with his back against it and Zayn in front of him, camera up. 

"3, 2, 1," Zayn says before giving thumbs up. 

"Hi," Louis says with a small smile, "My name is Louis Tomlinson. You may know me because I've been on the media lately. But the truth is, you have seen only the things the media wants you to see. So here I am, telling my own story to all of you."

"I'm Louis and I live in Cardiff. I'm 21 years old and even if you don't believe it, I'm just a normal boy. And just like every average boy, I fell in love. I fell in love with a boy I had no idea was famous and now paparazzis and fans have been chasing me around. Truth is, I didn't ask for any of this. But I did ask for someone like him. He is everything I have always been waiting for and finally when I found him, he left - only because media has decided to mess with our lives and make a mess of them. Harry Styles is not an object. You can't chase him down the streets and take photos of him without his consent. He's just a boy, just like everyone else. Just like you and me. He's... just Harry," Louis stops with a sad smile and looking to the floor. The tears are pushing to come out but Louis stays strong. 

"Yes, it's true. My father is the candidate to be Mayor of Doncaster. No, Harry had nothing to do with him or his election campaign. I don't know if you believe in those odd coincidences in life or not, but that's how my life has been lately. I had no idea I was falling for Harry. I had no idea my dad was that important. But truth is, I care for them a lot." 

"My dad is nothing but a genuine man that wants the best for the Doncaster people and he is willing to leave everything just for me - but he won't. Because I know he likes his job and he loves to help people. And Harry," Louis says, looking at the floor again, "Harry is incredible. I know some of you think like you know him, but I can assure you, that you would never know how amazing he is. He is just like every 18 year-old and even if he looks like a grown-up in magazines, he is just quirky lovely boy," okay, the tears now are stinging a lot and Louis isn't so sure anymore about holding them, "And believe me, if you truly knew him, you wouldn't be able to survive another day without him. He is so lovely," the first tear rolls down his cheek and he laughs sweet at that, "The boy with the curls. Who wouldn't love him?"

Zayn looks at Louis with concern but he knows he must keep recording. Louis wipes the tears from his cheeks and sighs, "So there, that's me. That's them. Don't buy all the bullshit that press and media sells you. No, my dad didn't use Harry for promo. No, I'm not a marketing pr for Harry. Believe it or not. Do as you want. That's all."

Louis nods to Zayn and Zayn presses the stop button. 

"That was good," Zayn says, coming closer to Louis, "Are you okay?"

"Good, thanks," he says, smiling with his eyes still a bit red, "Are you sure that was good?"

"Perfect," Zayn says nodding, "Do you want me to edit it?"

"No," Louis says shaking his head, "Leave it just like that, upload it like that. And let me know when it's ready so I send the link to my dad and then he can make it publish."

"Okay," Zayn says nodding before taking his camera and leaving Louis there. 

Louis breathes in and out a few times before nodding to himself. He takes the shirt out and puts on his uniform. He hopes his video helps and even if it doesn't, he hopes that at least, Harry can watch it. 

He truly hopes, that wherever Harry is right now, the video reaches him and he can watch it. 

- 

When the train arrives to the station, Harry doesn't notice the mob of people outside on the platform. He just brushes it off as people waiting for the train or just, you know, people outside. But he notices something is off when the first flash goes off, even when he is inside the wagon. 

"Are you kidding me?" Gemma says, taking her ear-buds off and peaking over the window to see the amount of paps and people outside, "How did they figured it out?"

Harry shrugs as he watches the amount of girls and boys outside, along with four or five paps. "Do you think Karl had something to do with it?"

"I don't know," Gemma says, still surprised by the amount of people, "Are we even sure it's for us?"

"Oh believe me," Harry says, pointing at the girl with a pink sign that says  _GEMMA IS THE BETTER STYLES_  and laughing at her, "It's definitely for us."

"Well," Gemma says with a sly smile, "She's right, you know?"

Harry turns to her with his pouty mouth and Gemma has to openly laugh now, "Okay, okay, let's go."

They take their things and side by side, they get off the train. The flashes start and the girls chanting turns into girls yelling. 

Harry is just behind Gemma, trying to protect her sister as they walk by. He just smiles and say hi to the general void but he doesn't stop. Gemma says  _Thank you_  a couple of times and she just stops at a girl wearing one of her clothes - a pastel purple thick-knit tennis skirt. She looks at the girl and thanks her personally for buying her stuff. After that, they don't stop until they find a cab. 

"That was odd," Gemma says once they are inside the cab, girls still outside, hovering over the car. 

"That's how I feel every time I have to go out," Harry says, after sighing. 

"I didn't know it was that difficult," she says, feeling apologetic for her brother. 

"Well, it's work, you know? Fan service and all of that," Harry says shrugging. Gemma nods but she isn't convinced. She didn't know being  model was that incredibly hard. And only now, Gemma is filled with doubts about Harry's life. Does he even likes his work? What about all the pressure about his body and face? It must be harsh. Gemma feels bad about it but she decides to not comment and keep it for herself. 

They arrive to the hotel - the same one where Harry spent some time last week and now it seems like so long ago, that gives him a weird feeling to his heart.  They make the check-in and quickly go to their room. They decided that one room for both of them was enough and they didn't bothered at all. Besides, they decided to get a big suite enough with two queen size beds so, it's not like they are going to be crowded. 

"So," Gemma says, once they settle everything and she's sitting on one of the beds, "What's next?"

"Well," Harry says before his ringing phone interrupts him. 

"Who's that?" Gemma asks before Harry is able to tell her. 

"Krystal," Harry says with furrowed eyebrows. 

He accepts the call, "Hey there."

"You need to see this video. You. Need. To Watch. It," Krystal says quickly. 

"What video?" Harry asks. 

"I will e-mail you the link. Please, watch it before you do anything there. I know you just check-in because the hotel just notified me - so please, don't do anything before watching this video," Krystal says really quickly, her words stomping one over the other. 

"Okay, I'll watch it," Harry says, now occupied, "E-mail it to me."

With that, they hang up. 

"What should we watch?" Gemma asks, standing up to get beside Harry. 

"I don't know," Harry says shrugging, "She's going to send a video because she said I should watch it before anything else."

"Let's watch it then," Gemma says when she sees Harry's notification with a new e-mail. 

Harry taps on the notification and opens the e-mail. When he sees the link, he taps on it to be redirected to YouTube. 

- 

The moment Zayn uploaded the video, it started gaining views - probably because Harry Styles is a very searched word - and he hadn't even shared it with Louis. He still made sure to send Louis the link and then Zayn got a message from Louis that said he already shared it with his dad. That's when the views started getting higher. 

He disabled the comments for the video, but still, there were some thumbs down on the video. Not really compared to the thousands of thumbs up but the small piece on the bar was visible. He decided not to tell Louis that. 

He was about to close his laptop but decided to check Twitter. It has been a while and he had been receiving some e-mails of new followers, so he decided to check. 

He opens his Twitter and the first instruct it to read the first tweets of the timeline. But the moment he decides to check the trends, he gets surprised. #HarrybackinCardiff and #LouisVideo are trending. Sure, his trends are always tailored trends but what the actual hell with the first trend?

He clicks on it and his heart stop. Oh bullocks. Harry is back in Cardiff. With Gemma Styles. His favourite fashion designer is here with the guy who broke his best friend's heart. Who happens to be his former celebrity crush. Who happens to be the brother of his favourite fashion designer. 

Oh shit. Zayn quickly closes all the tabs and takes his phone, putting on his boots. He has to tell Louis asap. 


	22. is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

"Dude, are you home?" Zayn asks, stepping out of his house as quickly as he can. 

"I'm just going out mate," Louis says happily, "Mom needs me back in the shop."

"No dude, I need you to come with me," Zayn says, taking his skate board, "Harry is back."

Louis stops on his tracks and Zayn can hear the hollow space on the other side. 

"Are you there mate?" Zayn asks preoccupied, "Louis?"

"I'm just - are you sure?... I mean - Zayn," Louis starts hyperventilating and all of the sudden there's no air in the room. 

"Mate, I'm five minutes away from your house, just hold on," Zayn says, his breathe getting harder because of the skate boarding. 

Louis nods - even if Zayn can't see him - and hangs up. Harry is back in Cardiff. Is it because of him? Is it because of the video? Are they going to see each other again? 

Zayn arrives to Louis' house, finding Louis outside froze in place. He's lost in thoughts and Zayn gets it. It's Harry. If it were him, he would be even worse. 

"Louis?" Zayn says, touching Louis by his side, "Are you fine?"

"No," Louis says, getting out of trance, "Zayn, is he really here? Did he see the video?"

"I don't know mate," Zayn says shrugging, "Do you want to find out?"

"I don't know," Louis says, "I mean - yes I want but, I don't even know where he is," Louis says, with big eyes looking at Zayn. 

"Well," Zayn says with a small smile creeping on his face, "I think I can help with that part."

-

Gemma closes the laptop on her lap slowly, just before releasing a sigh, "That was... so honest."

"I don't know where I stand," Harry says pacing around the room, "Gemma, where do I stand?"

"I don't know bro," Gemma says with an apologetic smile, "But you should definitely make a move."

Harry thinks for a moment before speaking again. 

"I'm not that guy he described," Harry says, "I'm not sincere, and I'm definitely not a good role model."

"What are you talking bub?" Gemma asks, standing to stand in front of him. 

"Gemma," Harry says with a shaky voice, looking at her, "How can I expect Louis to be sincere and cool with me, when I haven't been sincere with him? I haven't told him about... our mother."

"Awww baby," Gemma says, hugging him, "It's okay Hershel. You don't have to deal with it right now."

"I think," Harry says, stepping away from the hug, "That if I want something serious with Louis, I'll have to deal with my personal issues firsts."

Gemma nods and smiles, "I understand."

"I know you probably won't -,"

"It's okay bro," Gemma says, interrupting him, "You need her more than me, you're practically a kid."

"Heyyyy," Harry says, furrowing his eyebrows. 

"Just kidding," Gemma says, "So, are you going then?"

"I'm going then," Harry says nodding his head. 

- 

So basically, Harry is staying in the same hotel where he stayed last time - according to Zayn and Twitter - the same he stayed practically, a week ago. 

Wow, Louis can't wrap his head around that it wasn't even that much time ago and he practically feels like it was in a different lifetime and some way, his heart aches so much to see Harry that it doesn't even feel like it was just a week - somehow, it feels like it was so much more time, even before when they met over e-mail. 

And then Louis gets it, that his love for Harry is so strong and so huge, that's why it aches like this and Louis is decided to get over the pain but - but he needs to see Harry one last time. 

He needs to get some closure and a last goodbye, to get over with this so he can go away to Doncaster by himself with a broken heart and start a new life. He has everything he has ever wanted at last - he finally has a relationship with his father, his mother finally understood his needs and wants and above everything, Zayn is here supporting him like crazy.

Sure, his future may not include a Harry Styles, but if he gets to see Harry one last time, Louis Tomlinson could die tomorrow and not regret a single thing. 

And he's there, walking past hundreds of people, Zayn literally dragging him above the crowd, lost in thoughts, that when he sees a blondish female version of Harry, he thinks he is in some way of heaven and then Zayn stops and he's shaking Louis.

"Is that - is that Gemma Styles?" Zayn asks from his side, with high pitched voice and he keeps shaking Louis' arm. 

Louis nods even if has never seen Gemma Styles ever - but the resemblance is outstanding. If Gemma curled her hair, Louis is sure there's no way someone would be just as beautiful as Harry if it weren't a relative of him. 

There's a few fans approaching her - probably recognizing her asking for autographs and some pictures. 

Louis can see Gemma is just like her brother - she keeps smiling and hugging fans, even chatting with a few, like she's not bothered at all. 

Zayn is still on his place, probably fangirling about the fact that his favourite fashion designer is just a few steps away. And then, she turns around, and Zayn reacts and turns his head, but Louis doesn't. 

She looks at both the boys for a while with curious eyes and then Louis reacts but doesn't look away, and Gemma smiles - probably out of courtesy. 

She gestures with her head to a coffee shop just behind the mob of fans and Louis is almost certain that she's telling them to follow. 

"That was Gemma Styles," Zayn says still in shock, "I didn't know Gemma was here as well!"

Louis is able to laugh at Zayn's fangirling and nudge him on the side of his ribs.

Zayn looks at Louis and grins, "M' sorry, I just - she's like the goddess of fashion - apart from Karl Lagerfeld, Jeremy Scott  and Anna Wintour. Actually," Zayn continues, "Anna dedicated an entire number to describe and review Gemma's clothes - she said they were exquisite and fantastic," he says it like Louis understands a word of what he's saying, "Like, imagine how amazing!"

Louis rolls his eyes with fondness and sighs deeply before relaxing, "What do we do now? We know Gemma is here but Harry isn't so, what now?" Louis says looking lost.

"I don't know, maybe ask her?" Zayn says with doubt. 

"Well," Louis says, thinking about Gemma's gesture, "Let's go then."

-

Harry is at the airport, again. Not a single human recognizes him, probably because he is in a hurry and he's distracted and ignoring everyone around him. 

He arrives to the nearest counter and asks for a ticket to Manchester, the closest he can get to Holmes Chapel in a plane. 

_He is going to see his mum. After four years of not speaking to her._

He remembers the day Gemma and Harry left the house. He remembers the days after that, how lonely he felt in London after realizing Gemma would spend her time in college. He remembers how much he missed his mother Anne at night. 

But the decision was made back then. Gemma and Harry wouldn't live with their mother as long as she was dating that prick of a guy. The same guy that wanted to take advantage of Gemma. The same guy that called Harry fag and monster. The same guy that had put their mother against them. 

And after all that happened, not Gemma or Harry made contact with her. 

But everything changed when Harry saw her cousin, back in Doncaster. She had said her mother missed them. And even if the wounds were still fresh, he missed her too. 

After 25 minutes, he gets on the plane to Manchester and a few tears are rolling down his cheeks. 

It's time to deal with his issues. 

-

"I will have a turkey sandwich and a latte, please," Gemma says, giving the menu back to the waiter. 

A man comes to her small table, "Uhmm - Ms Styles, there's a couple of young guys who told us you were expecting them."

Gemma turns around and sees Louis inside the restaurant, speaking to a very nervous Zayn beside him. 

"Oh right," Gemma nods and smiles, "Please bring them here."

The man goes then to bring the boys and looking nervous as fuck, they manage to get close to Gemma's table. 

"Hello boys," she says smiling to then, standing up, "Please sit, you can join me."

Luckily, the table has other three chairs so Zayn and Louis are able to sit without bringing another chair. 

"I'm Louis, uhmm - I'm-,"

"I know who you are," Gemma says teasingly, "We all see the photo."

Louis stops and nods one time; sure, everybody saw the photo. 

"And we also watched the video," Gemma says then. 

"Oh," Louis says, "Uhmm - we?"

"Yeah, me and my brother," Gemma says with her posh accent, "Actually, he saw it first and then told me to watch it."

Zayn turns to look at Louis wiggling his eyebrows. Louis has to control himself to not kick him under the table. 

"And who are you?" Gemma asks to Zayn, after the little exchange the boys had. 

"I'm - I'm Zayn Malik," Zayn says, offering his hand next to Gemma, "I'm - I'm your biggest fan, like - I seriously love all your clothing line and the way you understand fashion and transmit all the feelings with single fabrics it's awesome."

Gemma keeps listening with a small smile on her face. It's always good to listen to comments like this. Comments that really matters. Comments about her actual work - not her brother or the price of her clothes. She's suddenly relieved that's the Zayn she will be working with. 

"Nice to meet you," she says to Zayn, shaking his hand. 

Zayn gets all giddy and tries not to  _fangirl_  anymore. 

"So boys," Gemma says knowing they won't start the chat, "What are you doing here? I mean, not here Cardiff but - like here, in the same coffee shop as me."

Zayn turns to look at Louis and Louis takes all his courage to speak. Okay, call down. It's just Gemma - basically, the female version of the one person that can make you weak, it's looking at Louis with those same eyes that Harry used to have when he knew things - and it's making Louis really nervous. 

Breathe in. Breathe out.

"We, uhmm - I was looking for Harry," Louis says finally, with very small voice. He has to cough a couple of times to get his voice back, "We noticed he was back in Cardiff and I was wondering if I could, you know - talk to him," that sounded more like a question but well, Gemma can't really blame him. 

"Of course you can talk to him," Gemma says smiling, "But he is not here."

The small seconds of happiness got shattered. "What?"

Gemma's smile disappears and she has to sigh before continue, "He just took the plane to see our mom."

"What?" Zayn is the one to ask this time. 

Gemma shakes her head and gives them a small smile, "It's a long story but - I'm sure he will talk with you when he gets back."

Louis nods even if he wants to ask more. 

"But," Gemma continues, now her confidence back, "I'm here to talk to you."

And everybody is surprised when she points to Zayn. 

"Me?" Zayn asks all shocked. 

"Well, yeah," Gemma nods, "You probably don't know yet but Harry decided to cancel his project with Karl Lagerfeld - Karl kept asking for too much and well, Harry at the end decided for  _someone_  else."

"And anyway, Karl let him back off with one condition - to give us a replace to model all the male clothes. And Harry said you were the perfect choice."

_What?_

"You mean, like - you mean, I'm going to be a model?" Zayn tries to calm himself down but seriously, they can't blame him. It's his dream came true. 

"Yes, basically! Well, you are for sure becoming my next principal model for my next clothing line which you know, will be a collaboration with the Chanel team and Karl," Gemma says. 

"That's - I can't believe it!!! Yes!! I want to do  it!!! Yes, please and thank you," Zayn gets up from his seat and can't contain himself - he goes for a hug with Gemma, "Thank you so much!"

"Nah, don't thank me," Gemma says, patting him in the back, "Thank Harry, he was the one to suggest you."

"God, do I love that curly?" Zayn says stepping back of the hug and only notice Louis hasn't said a word in the entire conversation. He turns to look at him and he's lost in thoughts. 

"Louis?" Zayn asks. 

"Did you say Harry decided for  _someone_  else?" Louis asks to Gemma. 

Gemma finally breaks in a huge grin - she can finally sees the same shine she saw in Harry's look. 

- 

Harry can't remember the last time he was at the Holmes Chapel train station. Probably because he kept crying and Gemma kept nudging him to keep going and not look back. It was indeed a crazy day that time but well, he's back now. 

Everything feels smaller somehow, probably because he is taller now and the town hasn't changed - not a single bit. 

He should probably message Gemma to let her know he arrived but he dismissed it and keeps walking with a single bag on his shoulder. 

He remembers his house is not even close to the train station but the one thing that is close to it, it's the bakery he used to work at. 

He decides to walk all the way to the small bakery and see how much it changed. 

To his surprise, the outside of it, it's exactly the same. 

He can see from the outside that the bakery is empty and he decides to enter. 

The little bell from the door rings when he opens the door and it gives him some sort of nostalgia to hear it. 

There's a boy behind the counter, which looks incredibly small considering only his head can be seen. 

"Hello," Harry says making the boy turn to see him. 

"Hey," he says without really noticing Harry, "You can grab a bag with a pair of bread tongs to pick out your bread."

Harry nods and smiles to the boy, oblivious to who he really is. It's nice, for a change. Refreshing somehow. And familiar. 

"Uhmm - are you alone right now?" Harry asks, trying to know more. 

"No, not really," the boy says, getting suspicious. Right, that may sound suspicious. 

"Is there any chance Barbara still works here?"

"Uhmm - yeah, just let me," the boy disappears and Harry smiles to himself. 

A few seconds later, a woman comes out from the back, her face all tired and her glasses at the point of her nose. She has a few strands of grey hair, mixed in her brownish hair. She's smaller than what Harry remembered and the moment he sees her, Harry speaks up, "Barbara!"

The woman looks up with her face all rejuvenated and with the biggest smile since Harry could remember. 

"Harry!" Barbara shouts and lifts her arms up in joy. 

The poor boy behind her is all confused when he sees them hugged and squeeze each other. 

"My lovely boy," Barbara says to his shoulder. "We've missed you so much!"

Suddenly a lot of other ladies go out from the back and they all start shouting and smiling to Harry. It's like he is fifteen all of the sudden and it's almost too strange because it was only three/four years ago but it seems like a lifetime. 

He says hi to all of them and he also hug a lot of them and they start to chat and catch up. Harry asks about Mr. Fields and Lorraine - another lovely lady - tells him that he's on vacation with Grace - another of the ladies that works there. Huh, he stills remembers the day he found out Grace had a little crush on Mr. Fields. He can't believe that they are married now; he also can't believe he missed the wedding. 

They keeps chatting and the small boy finally integrates and he finally recognizes Harry and they chat and chat until it's almost six and the sun is getting down and Harry knows it's time to go. 

He starts to say goodbye and all of them get sad but understand. Barbara is the last one, because somehow she has always been the closest to Harry and it's been so long since they said their last goodbye that this hurts. 

"Please don't do it again," Barbara says in Harry's shoulder, next to his ear, "We all missed you here and you will always be our little boy, no matter how much you've grown."

"I won't," Harry says with tears stinging at the edge of his eyes, "I'll come back more regularly. Promise."

Barbara smiles and nods, giving the last squeeze to Harry's slender body. 

Finally, when he exits the bakery, the sun is almost gone and the air is chill. 

Harry knows that there's still a few blocks from his mother's house, so he starts to walk again, with a little more hope than this morning. 

- 

When he finally arrives to the door he recognizes from memories of his childhood, he swears his heart skips a beat. 

There's a few lights turn on inside the house but still - Harry fears that no one is home. 

He approaches the door and all he needs to do is ring the bell. 

He lets his suitcase on the floor and breathes in one last time before ringing. 

He is breathing heavier and he can hear some noise inside. His finger is still up, so he rings again - blame the nerves. 

"M' coming!" someone shouts from inside. Which, yeah - it's a woman's voice. 

Harry steps back and he is suddenly fighting to catch air. Oh god, she still sounds lovely. 

The door opens then and she sees her again. His mother. She hasn't changed a bit. She looks... even better than what he remembers. 

"Uhmm - hi," Harry says with such a small voice that he's not sure she heard. 

But she heard. Because she's smiling and her eyes are filled of tears and she's coming closer and Harry panics because he doesn't know if he's ready but she's there and he has missed her and well, what the hell? Of course they hug. 

And he's taller now, and Anne is so small but so strong and she's full on crying now and Harry is about to start but he has to be strong. And they squeeze each other and they keep holding on because they have missed each other. And it's weird, sure - but their relationship was so strong and they were used to each other and then it suddenly stopped. And now, they have an opportunity to fix everything. 

"I've missed you so much," Anne says, stepping back to see Harry, "I thought I would never be able to talk to you again."

"Don't say that," Harry says, his eyes all teary, "Of course we were going to talk again."

Anne nods with a sad smile and tries to shrug the feeling, "Please, come in."

Harry takes his bag from the floor and steps inside the house. It hasn't change a bit. Well, probably the colours have faded a bit and the furniture looks more old, but the smell is still there. All of the photos are in the same place - even the ones in the walls and the shelves. He can see his younger self in a photo with Gemma, playing in the beach. He sees another photo of the three of them in the park, having a picnic. 

They finally reach the living room and they sit in front each other. 

"Do you want something to drink? I have lemonade and juice but I can make you a tea or, uhmm - do you prefer coffee?" Anne asks, almost standing up. 

"No, no," Harry says, assuring her to sit down again, "I'm fine, thanks."

Anne sits then and sighs. "Uhmm - where's your sister?" 

Harry turns to look at her and sighs, "Well, working," he laughs sarcastically, "She's in Cardiff doing some stuff."

"Uhh," Anne nods, "Cardiff? Isn't that where you - uhmm, you were there, right?"

Harry looks at her and he almost doesn't believe it. She has been following them along their careers. 

"Yeah, uhmm - that's a really long story," Harry says, with a sad smile. 

"Well," Anne says, patting beside her, "We have all night and I can make us tea."

Harry nods and smiles, "Yes, please."

-

Back at his house, Louis is almost lost. He is lying in his bed, watching the roof trying to think about the opportunities and the choices he has. 

He remembers now what Gemma told them that afternoon. 

_"So boys," Gemma says after finishing her food, "We have options here," she says looking at Zayn and Louis, "Whether, you two come with me tomorrow morning to London, or you don't. It's your choice."_

_"Yes!" Zayn says immediately, not even thinking about it. Well, to be honest, he has thought about this his entire life._

_"Uhhh," Louis says, not knowing what to say._

_"Look, I'm not pressuring you," Gemma says, lifting her hands in surrender, "But we know you miss him. And he misses you. And you know, Zayn could use a familiar face in London after all."_

_"Yes!" Zayn says again, looking at Louis._

_"Well, I need to talk about it with my mom and -,"_

_"Well, just think about it, yeah? I'm leaving tomorrow morning at 11. I'll see you both at the airport. Just bring your passports, I'll deal with the tickets," she gives them a little wink, before standing up._

_She opens her purse, leaves a few bills on the table, and leaves both of the boys there, leaving the coffee shop._

Louis thinks again. Well, it would be nice to go to London, he has always wanted to go. But, what about his mom? What about his dreams? He doesn't know what to do with his life anymore. Yeah, sure he has dreams - like becoming a journalist. But his goal was New York. Was London okay too? 

Besides, if he goes to London, who would assure him Harry still would want something with him? sure, Gemma says Harry is lost for Louis, but - what if he is not? It's not like he doesn't trust her but he's not even quite sure of his own feelings, so he understands if Harry ever decides to change his. 

It's 11:23 pm and he can't sleep. There's only one way to decide this. 

-

WhatsApp

Tuesday - July 23 2013 - 11:23 pm

Louis T.: Could we ever be enough? 


	23. if there's something I've learnt from a million mistakes...

"... And so, with that single e-mail, everything started," Harry says, explaining to Anne.

"We kept messaging and he kept replying and somehow, at the end of the day, the only thing I wanted was to keep talking to him and keep seeing his e-mails. It was odd, because the whole mystery of him not knowing who I was and I didn't know him either and it was exciting but scaring and - like good," he says, cuppa in hand, Anne beside him nodding along, "And then, the time came, when the only thing I wanted was to finally meet him, and I took my chance."

"You went to Cardiff," Anne says, not even asking. She knows the story somehow.

"Yeah, and like, it was weird at the beginning, I almost made the mistake to confuse him for someone else but then - once we were together, everything was... good again."

Anne nods with a sad smile. She knows what he's referring to. She knows she's talking about the constant light pain that was to leave her and not be able to see her. She lived it too, she knows what he's talking about.

"You know, I was truly happy with him, those past days, every time I smiled, I felt it was real," Harry says, "And he felt so familiar to me, like, I've known him my whole life and - I don't know, does this sound weird?"

Anne shakes her head and smiles, "Not at all love."

"I just want, to be back with him and he able to see how things go, because," Harry says, stopping for a second, "I know we only have met personally for like less than a week, but for me, all those months, were... real. As real as the last week."

"Well," Anne says after hearing her son talk for about an entire hour, "I think, that you can take a little advantage of what Gemma is currently doing - I mean, like, to take the chance to go to Cardiff and make use of the time there."

"Thing is, Gemma goes back to London tomorrow, with or without Zayn," Harry says. 

"Well then, you better make sure Zayn goes with her, Louis by his side," Anne says. 

"But, I'm all the way here," Harry says, "I'm not in Cardiff. How am I supposed to make things happen?"

"That didn't stop you the first time, didn't it?" Anne says and Harry smiles then. She's right. 

It's getting late, and Anne takes Harry to his old bedroom. It's the same way it was back then - green duvets on the individual bed, all his old clothes cluttered on his tiny closet and some stuff over the shelves by the side. Not a lot of stuff, just - stuff Harry decided he wouldn't need in London, back then. Mostly tiny toys and some books. 

Anne leaves Harry then, with his bag there and Harry finally sighs. It's been an incredibly long day, and Harry wants nothing more than to rest. He knows tomorrow is going to be a busy day for him, because he has to sort some things with his mother and come up with a way to make Gemma drag Zayn and Louis back to London. 

His phone is about to die and he takes his charger out, so he can scroll through Twitter just for a bit. 

He plugs in his phone then, and he takes of all his clothes. He's getting ready to go to bed. He is only on his briefs, already tucked in bed, when he starts scrolling down on his timeline. He sees a few things about Gemma being in Cardiff and some fans asking for Harry. 

He doesn't see his mentions - it's pointless, really - but he searches through the tag and he finds someone talking about Louis and Zayn being with Gemma. And then, someone else states the same - they saw Louis and Zayn with Gemma today. And then, there's a blurry picture of the three of them in a restaurant. And he only recognizes Zayn's quiff but there's certainly someone with long honey hair looking like a smug Gemma and someone small with a caramel fringe looking like a confused Louis. 

He wants to find more pictures, probably a better one, with decent quality, when his phone buzzes on his hands. It's a text. 

-

WhatsApp

Tuesday - July 23 2013 - 11:23 pm

Louis T.: Could we ever be enough?

-

It's Louis.

Harry's heart skips a beat and he is still for a bit until he finds himself calling Louis. Like, actually calling. And it's too late now, the phone is ringing and it takes a few seconds until Harry hears Louis' voice after a couple of days. 

"Harry?" Louis sounds so tiny, shy and afraid. Nothing like the Louis he remembers from the past days, so  _loudloudloud._

"Louis," Harry sighs, closing his eyes. He can't even control himself right now, his mouth and brain are doing whatever the hell they want. Harry is not able to control his motions. 

It's silent there, for a few seconds, until Harry realizes he was the one to call, he needs to say something. 

"I saw your text," Harry says, whispering into the phone. It's like, they are next to each other, trying to be gentle - otherwise, the unspoken truce they have right now will be broken. 

"Hmm," Louis hums quietly too, still shy. 

"We can be enough," Harry says suddenly, "I know I wasn't myself back at the airport and even if I was an ass, I want to tell you that I miss you - a lot," Harry has to stop to breathe, "And I know you have been only kind with me, even after the scene at the airport and now the video, and I have been horrible but I just - I was in a bad place, before you."

"Harry," Louis whispers back, now with a hint of fondness. 

"No, let me finish," Harry says, taking a deep sigh again, "I was lost before, not knowing where to go. Feeling like stumbling all the time, looking in the dark with an empty heart. And I know you probably felt the same, because of your father and the dreams you have and not being able to do them. But now, after everything we've been through even if it was just a couple of days, it was more than I ever did in five years. We can be enough, Louis. Together, we can be enough."

"It is true, you know? Before you, I got nothing to wake up to. Like, sure I got my mum and friends but, I felt no motivation whatsoever. And after your first e-mails, everything changed. I was lost, trying to find my way, and you were my light, Harry. You opened my eyes to a new whole world and I won't be able to thank you enough for everything you have done for me. But," Louis stops for a minute and tries to think his words, "I don't know what to do now."

"Louis," Harry says, suddenly wanting to be there, able to reach him, able to hold him, "You don't have to do anything."

Louis laughs softly, "Gemma asked me if I would like to go and join Zayn in London. And believe me, I'm thinking about it. All my life, I've been wanting to let go of this city and live somewhere else. Somewhere bigger. A place where I can finally make my dreams come true. But the last days, you became one of them," Louis stops for a while, and Harry stops breathing fearing to miss something, "I want to be with you, Harry. And I'm willing to give everything for us, but I'm scared. I suffered the last days without you, and we only were together for a few days. I don't want to imagine what it would be like if we ever get something serious in London. I don't think I would be able to take it. And I don't want to feel alone, Harry. I hate being alone. I was alone for a long time, please don't make me feel alone."

"You will never feel like you're alone, Lou. I'll make it feel like home," Harry says quickly, not wanting Louis to get sad, "Please just, give me a chance. I'll make it right, I promise."

Louis sighs and Harry can hear the small smile on his side, "I'll see you in London then."

And he hangs up. Harry doesn't react until after a few seconds and he smiles to the phone. 

He decides to send one last text before sleeping. 

-

WhatsApp

Tuesday - July 23 2013 - 11:57 pm

Harry Styles: I'll make  _this_  feel like home.

-

Harry wakes up to the smell of traditional English Breakfast. Which, is rather a surprise after all these years, because only Anne could pull off an entire decent breakfast like that. He puts on some sweatpants and decides to go downstairs. 

When he reaches the kitchen, he finds Anne pouring some tea on different cups. 

"Good morning sunshine," Anne says when he sees Harry on the frame of the door. 

"Hey," he answers with a faint smile. 

"Made you breakfast - thought it would be good since you have to go back today," Anne says with a sad smile. 

"Yeah," Harry says nodding, thinking about it. He needs to go back to London, wait for Louis there. And he now remembers the call from last night and he instantly smiles. 

He takes a seat then, and lets Anne serve him the food. It's refreshing for Harry, after a very delicate diet, to be able to eat properly. Well, he has been eating badly the last few days but... it's a special occasion, yeah? 

"So, you're going back to London, are you excited?" Anne says, trying to make some conversation. 

"I guess," Harry says, noticing, "You should go there and visit us some time," Harry says, trying to be subtle. 

"Oh," Anne says surprised, "I don't think Gemma would like that."

"Mum," Harry says sighing, "Gemma misses you too, you two just have to figure things out."

"She hates me, and that's fine," Anne says. 

"She doesn't hate you, she just hated your decisions - she thought you preferred Robin over us and well, he was pretty mean with both of us. He hated us."

"Harry," Anne says taking his hand over the table, "I know I made some terrible decisions on the past but I learnt from my mistakes and I know now that he was awful. I left him and I want to make things right."

"I know," Harry says squeezing her hand, "But you have to explain to Gemma and let her know."

"I'll do then, but first," Anne says standing up, "You have to arrange your problems, right?"

Right. Harry had some things to do. 

-

When Louis wakes up that morning, he has to make a choice. Either, go to London with Zayn and make up with Harry or, stay in Cardiff and forget about his dreams, including Harry. 

He stands from the bed and decides to take a quick shower and change. Once he's already ready and has decided, he goes to the kitchen to find Jay. 

"Morning mum," he says, approaching her and giving her a little kiss on the cheek.

"Hey bub," Jay says humming happily, "What's up? You are in such a good mood."

"Mum, I have to tell you something," Louis says taking a seat. 

"Oh god, should I worry?" Jay says. 

"Not really, but please just, let me finish before you say something, yeah?" Louis says, still in a good mood. 

"Of course," Jay says, taking a seat too. 

"Well, yesterday, I saw Harry's sister - I don't know if you know her, she's a famous designer, Gemma Styles," Louis says waiting for there's no response from his mother, "Well, she said that she came because he wanted to offer Zayn an offer, you know, be a model and everything for her new line with Chanel and Zayn accepted."

"That's lovely," Jay says smiling.

"Yeah," Louis says smiling too, "But then, well - Gemma explained to me that Harry was supposed to be the model for that line but Harry gave it up, for me," Louis pauses and Jay still doesn't answer, "He wants to make things right this time and Gemma offered me to come to London with her, to meet him there."

"Okay," Jay says slowly. 

"And it's not like I'm not going to do a thing, I was actually planning to go and study there, finally something I like - probably journalism or even a proper writing! And like, I would love to be just there and find things out for myself and learn and be there for Zayn and I guess - please just," Louis says, sighing, "Please just let me go and live my life."

Jay nods and starts talking then, "I knew this day would come, you know? I knew one day, you where going to get up and say you want to go to college and I wouldn't be able to do a thing. And I guess I was scared that time would come, scared to be without you. But now, knowing you will be with such good people - not only Zayn, but Harry," Jay clearly has some trouble saying this, "I know you will be okay. Zayn cares for you so much, he's like your best friend since ever and I guess it's right for you two to keep going together and well, Harry," Jay says with a smile now, "Harry loves you so much dear. And I want you to know, that I support you know and all your decisions and if you ever need anything, I'll be here."

"Thank you so much mum," Louis says standing up and going to her, attacking her with a big big hug. 

"It's okay bub, it's only a thing I should have learnt a long time ago," she says, hugging him back. 

Okay, it's settled then, Louis is going to London. 

"Well, I should go and pack then, Gemma is leaving at noon and I have like," Louis checks his phone and sees it's only 9:21am, "Three hours!"

"Let's go," Jay says, "I'll help you pack."

After packing and agreeing to only pack necessary things now - with a promise to come back to gather more stuff and visit Jay - Louis goes to Gemma's hotel, and he finds Zayn on the way there. 

"I can't believe it mate!" Zayn says, hugging Louis, "We are going to London!" 

"And you are going there and follow your dreams! Finally, sexy hot model Zayn Malik," Louis says only a bit sarcastic. 

"Suit me right," Zayn says. 

They both laugh and and finally reach the hotel. Gemma is waiting for them on the lobby, with her small chick suitcase and phone in hand. 

"Hey guys," she says, greeting them both, "So, are you ready for the next chapter of your life?"

Well, Louis is sure he is. 

-

Harry arrives to London way later than he thought. Maybe,  _maybe_  if he hurried enough with the suitcases paperwork and if he finds a taxi right now, he will be able to catch Gemma and Zayn at Chanel. And Louis, if he decided to come along.

After what seems like years, he finally takes a cab and he orders the driver to go to Chanel.

The traffic, being London, doesn't help at all and Harry is way too nervous. Probably because he didn't get a text back from Louis after his text from last night or probably because what if Karl doesn't like Zayn? What if Louis didn't come to London? What if Gemma looses her job?

He remembers the meeting was scheduled at 4 o'clock that day - according to Krystal anyway - and he is running late. Like, really late. Because it's already 4:03. 

His hands are sweaty and he is thinking about London's horrible traffic when they get there. He quickly pays to the driver and gets off, along with his bags. 

He greets the lovely girl in the front desk and leaves his bags there, because, you know, he is Harry Styles and he can do whatever he wants. Besides, the girl only has time to see what's happening before Harry arrives to the elevators and clicks both of them and see which one gets to the lobby first. 

One of them arrives faster than the other one so Harry uses that one to go and meet Karl in the last floor. 

When he gets there, he only sees Karl. And he turns around just in time.

"Oh, there you are boy! Thought you wouldn't be able to join us today," Karl says, cup of tea in his hands, black glasses on him as always. 

"Sorry, I got stuck in traffic and stuff," Harry says, arranging his hair. 

"Don't worry, it's fine," Karl says, sipping through the cup. 

"Uhmm - where's my sister? And Zayn?" Harry asks, trying to be polite. 

"Oh, they just left," Karl says just like that.

"They left?" Harry asks, not understanding. 

"Yeah well, Gemma had some fittings to do and adjust everything for Zayn, he is more skinny than you," Karl says, looking Harry up and down. He feels exposed. 

"Oh," Harry says, covering up himself, "So, they are -,"

"Harry, I would love to keep up with this chat but I'm a very busy man and every minute of my life is worth it," Karl says, leaving the cup of tea in a small white table, "I'll see you around then, don't be a stranger."

"Okay, I won't," Harry says, left with doubts. 

He turns around and he has no other choice but to go to his apartment. There's literally no way to find out more, because Karl didn't say a thing and his phone is dead so he can't call Gemma and everything sucks. 

Well, he will wait for them in the apartment. At least, that will give Harry an opportunity to freshen up and charge his phone. 

He stops a taxi and takes his bags, ordering the taxi driver to take him to his place. The route starts to get known then, familiar places passing by and known strangers walking on the side walk. Harry is lost in thoughts, watching the world out there. He can't believe a lot happened in his life within so few days and still, everyone is doing the same thing, minding their own business. Sometimes, being a famous person makes you worry about yourself and the consequences of being you. You're always one step-ahead of you life, making plans, partnerships, new ideas and projects, deals with other artists or brands and it's always, always about your image and persona. 

And sometimes, you forget that there's people out there, people like Louis, that live their life as it goes by. Literally, the definition of no plans whatsoever, no deals and no commitments. Just, pure spontaneity, choosing and saying as life presents itself. And Harry can't wait to be like that - not entirely, sure but like with Louis, to be able to let go for a while and just like, sit around and admire what Louis is like. 

The taxi gets to the building and Harry snaps out of his dream. He pays to the taxi and gets his things out. The doorman sees Harry and opens the door for him, saluting him with a  _Good evening Mr. Styles!_  and Harry tries to nod his head and smile. 

He gets to the elevators and clicks on the up button, already looking for his keys to the apartment on one of his bags. Harry doesn't even know why he had to pack so many things. Oh right, his image; he is a model. 

The elevator arrives and he gets in, pressing the button of his floor. He is mentally doing a to-do-list on his mind of things to do when he finally gets to his apartment. 

1\. Charge phone

2\. Let phone get charged so he can call Gemma

3\. Eat something (there should be bananas and Nutella somewhere)

4\. Take a quick shower. 

5\. Rest

He loves his lists. They are funny somehow. They keep him busy and content. They keep him so busy, that he doesn't notice the small black jacket on the living room once he enters the apartment. They keep him so busy, he doesn't notice the half-empty glass of water on the counter of the kitchen. They keep him so  _damn_  busy, that he doesn't hear the door of the bathroom opened when he reaches his room, just beside the bathroom. 

He gets to take the charger out of his bag, plugging it to the electricity, and connecting his phone, when he hears him. 

"Harry?" 

He turns around and sees the small figure standing on the door frame, his fringe over his blue soft eyes. 

"Louis," Harry says, the insides of himself melting right away. 


	24. feels like this could be forever tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AFTER YOU READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER.. do you want an epilogue? probably a year from now so you see how things get going? 
> 
> I know this chapter sucked! but I did tried to resolved everything and probably, if you are willing to wait for an epilogue I can get more fluff and even a bit of ziam? even niallxgemma? haha idk just a thought.

"Harry?"

"Louis," Harry says once he saw the small boy standing by the door, looking shy and so small. 

Louis offers a small smile, still to shy to get close but Harry is quick - he gets there in no time and even though rules haven't been talked and there's this awkward tension, Harry goes for a hug. Because damn, he has missed Louis, okay? He missed him with all his heart and the only thing he wants right now is to hold Louis tight. 

And well, Louis freezes at first but then he relaxes and hugs Harry back. He hugs Harry tight too, his face on the crook of his neck, smelling his cologne. 

And damn they missed each other so much. Harry is reaching to Louis back like he depends on it and Louis wants to touch Harry's hair so much. It's like they haven't been living properly until now. All their senses are back and they want more more more. 

But, they separate after a few seconds. 

"How did you - where's Gemma?" Harry doesn't even know how to start. 

"Well, Gemma and Zayn are in Chanel, they decided to stay there to start working," Louis explains, his voice still so small and shy, "And Gemma called a cab to take me here and rest."

"Oh, okay," Harry says, understanding. 

Silence spreads again, both of them avoiding their stare until Louis speaks again. 

"Can I hug you again?" Louis asks, not looking at Harry but fighting with his fingers and looking at the floor. 

"Yes please," Harry sighs and he is the one to come closer, "M' sorry for everything," Harry whispers to Louis' ear. 

Louis nods, "It's fine now, we are fine," Louis hugs him tighter. 

Harry separates and watches him, "So we are enough?"

Louis is finally smiling to Harry and he nods, "Yeah," and Harry could swear Louis is the entire sun to him, "We are enough."

And it's like they are connected because they both lean closer until their mouths are pressed. And it's soft and delicate at first because even if Harry needs it all, he doesn't know how comfortable Louis is - until Louis pushes for more and it becomes more rough. Louis is the one to bit Harry's lower lip so he can push his tongue further. And Harry accepts it, savouring Louis' tongue like never before. 

And Harry has his hands on Louis' waist and he is squeezing tighter every time more until Louis hisses and Harry loves it. And Louis gets back to him, because he pulls from Harry's hair and Harry hisses too. And Louis is smiling into the kiss and Harry loves it. He needs more. 

And they are now tumbling to the bed and Harry is so hungry and Louis is so hungry and they both need _more._

"I missed you so much," Harry says between kisses, "I need you so much."

Louis is under him and he nods quickly, "Me too, please. Me too."

Harry takes the hem of Louis' t-shirt and pulls it high, so his hand can rest on Louis' lower stomach. His thumb is caressing his tummy and Louis is smiling. 

"Do something already," Louis says. And Harry laughs - like, openly laughs. He missed this Louis. Messy, sassy, whinny Louis. 

Harry stands up and takes his own shirt off, showing Louis his bare chest. 

"Missed this," Louis says, tracing Harry's chest with one of his hands, "Missed you."

"Me too," Harry says, leaning closer to Louis only to take Louis' t-shirt and pulled it off too. 

"Cheeky," Louis says, giggling. Harry smirks. 

Harry kisses Louis again until they are lying on the bed again, Louis on his back and Harry above him. 

Harry starts kissing Louis neck and he starts to go under, Louis' chest, Louis' stomach, Louis' everything. 

Louis takes Harry's hair and guides him back to his mouth, kissing him roughly again, their lips already bruised by the amount of bites and kisses in the last few minutes. 

And it's not until Louis arches his back that Harry notices Louis is getting hard. Just like he is - because when their groins touch, Harry moans and Louis hisses. 

"Lou," Harry says breathless into Louis' ear, "Can I give you a blow job?"

Louis moans at the seductive whisper and nods, "Yes, _fuck_ please."

Harry smiles and keeps kissing, while his hands starts to unbutton Louis' jeans. 

And Louis' back arches again, pressuring Harry to hurry. Harry only smirks and keeps kissing. 

"You're a tease," Louis says between kisses. 

"I learned from the best," Harry says smiling. 

"Sure then," Louis says smiling as well. 

And after a while, Harry manages to get Louis' jeans off of him and he can clearly see the figure of his dick under his brief. 

"Fuck," Harry says, because Louis is thick. 

"Are you going to stare of do something?" Louis says with a hint of mischievous, like the little twink he is. 

Harry stands up and gets rid of his skinny jeans as well, wanting to be the same as Louis. And Louis stares at the tent Harry has on his brief. Because shit, Harry is big. So big. And Louis licks his lips and Harry groans at the scene and returns to kiss Louis hungrily, playing with the edge of Louis' briefs, occasionally running his thumb under the elastic band. 

And he keeps teasing, making Louis' whine and arch his beautiful back until Harry gets Louis' briefs all the way down and Louis' dick springs back to his stomach. 

"So fucking beautiful," Harry hisses, his mouth now dry and with such hunger. 

And Harry doesn't waste another second, getting Louis' dick on his mouth. 

"Oh fuck," Louis says, almost breathless, "Fuck."

Harry starts to suck, slowly at once, enjoying just the head of Louis' head, teasing with his tongue, and one of his hands pumping the rest of the dick. He is slowly destroying Louis Tomlinson - but not in a bad way. Just in the way he had always wanted. 

"Shit," Louis hisses, "Would you please start being nice?" Louis says, sass in his voice and Harry snorts at that. 

And just like that, he takes the entire dick on his mouth, sucking, bobbing his head up and down, quickly, enjoying the taste and the pressure on his mouth. Louis is pulling Harry's head by his curls and that makes Harry moan, making Louis feels the vibrating sound on his dick. 

It's beautiful, the rhythm they have, the way they understand so well and the way they are both enjoying it. It's like the best make up blow job ever and Louis wants so much more. 

Harry keeps sucking until he feels Louis' dick tighten more. Harry then takes his own dick out and starts pumping with his free hand, wanting to come with Louis. 

"I'm about to come," Louis cries, pushing Harry's face faster, "Fuck."

And Harry is willing to stay in place, bobbing faster up and down on Louis' dick meanwhile he is pumping faster with own one. And Louis' cries and moans are making Harry to reach the edge as well, until they both hit their orgasm the same time and Harry is lost in haze, receiving Louis' come and hitting his own orgasm. And somehow, he manages to sallow every drop from Louis' while his own is splattered all over his own hand. 

Louis is beautifully lying in his back, sweat all over his fringe and face, his eyes closed and furrowed, making his big eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks. And he is so beautiful, all flushed and naked under Harry, that even if Harry is spent, he manages to get beside Louis, lying there, contemplating him. 

It gets a few seconds, before their breathes get normal again and Louis can properly open his eyes. 

"Hey there," Harry says, smiling lazily. 

"Hi," Louis says, smiling to him, getting closer, "That was awesome."

"I know," Harry says, eyeing him completely, "You were awesome."

Louis blushes again, trying to hide his face on the pillow below him. 

"Thank you," Louis says, "You were awesome too."

Harry smiles and pecks Louis' lips quickly, "We should take a shower, love."

"Ugh, but I'm tired," Louis says, getting closer, resting on Harry's shoulder. 

"But I have dry come all over my hand and body," Harry says, trying to sound nasty. 

"Here," Louis says, taking Harry's hand and licking, "Tasty."

"Shut up," Harry says laughing, "Don't be a tease and let's shower."

"Okay then," Louis says pouting, "No more cheeky Louis for you."

"Sure love," Harry says smiling. 

-

They are finally showered and changed, lying on the couch of the living room, not even watching TV but lazily enjoying each other's company. 

"We need to talk you know?" Harry says, kissing Louis' hair. 

"Right now?" Louis says, playing with one of Harry's hand, "Can we just leave the past behind?"

"No love," Harry says, "We need to talk."

"Okay then," Louis says, accommodating so he can face Harry, "Let's do it."

"I was scared," Harry starts, "I was scared thinking I had ruined your life and I didn't want you to have the same issues I had with my mom. I know you have a strong relationship with her but I just didn't want to ruin that. Like I did with mine."

"It's okay love," Louis says smiling, "We are good now. She understands now."

"Also, I wanted to fix my issues with my own mom first so I didn't feel guilty of being happy with you without her," Harry says, "You know, we left her like four, almost five years ago, because the guy she was dating was mean to us. He wanted to take advantage of Gemma, like, physically and sexually and when he found out I was gay, he wouldn't stop with the insults and aggressions. Our mom was blind by him and she started to think we were lying and we just wanted to separate her from him. And Gemma couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't willing to stay there and let the guy do whatever he wanted so we started to plan out our run away. Until one day, we did. She didn't notice until we left but she never reached us. She just let us go. And I was devastated because even if Gemma was sure we would be able to reach London and start a new life, somehow, I kept wishing mom would notice the harm she had done us and regret everything and came back to look for us. But she didn't."

"So I was there with her, yesterday, and we finally figured everything out," Harry says sighing, "She said that the moment we left, she knew she had made a mistake and she got rid of Robin. It was difficult and everything was bad for a while, until she started to look out for us. She was about to give up until she figured Gemma was finally graduated and she was a fashion designer one, a very recognized one. And then she saw me started with modelling and she kept our tracks and everything. She never reached us, because she knew we were doing good and she didn't want to annoy us. But now, we are good."

"That's so great love," Louis says with fondness on his eyes, a sincere small on his lips. 

"Yeah," Harry says smiling back, "And I mean, even if Gemma is still not talking to her, I promised I was going to help her to make up with her, because she really misses her."

"I could only imagine," Louis says nodding. 

"Yeah so that's my story. I wanted to come clean with you before anything - also," Harry says, remembering Karl, "I wanted to tell you that part of the fault I didn't want you to come with me to London that day, was because Karl Lagerfeld wanted to take advantage of our relationship for his own purposes. He kept pressuring me into letting paparazzis take photos of us and make everything more public so he could take advantage but I knew how you reacted to paps so I didn't let him."

"You could have told me," Louis says, getting closer, "I would have understood. We would have found a way to make to function."

"No," Harry says, shaking his head, "I wanted _this_ to be only ours. I wanted to enjoy this only with you."

"Okay then," Louis says, smiling, "Well, you pretty much know everything about me. My life, my family and me."

"No wait," Harry says cheekily, "I never got to meet your dog!"

"Oh," Louis says, "Well, it's because he died months ago. He was a very old dog so it was just natural. Sorry for not telling you."

"No, it's fine," Harry says, "I just remember that all of this started because of Dusty and Bruce."

"Yeah, you're right," Louis says laughing, "So where's Dusty?"

"She's with the neighbour. Every time we go out to travel, we leave her with the neighbour. Maybe we should go and take her home," Harry says, already standing up. 

"No," Louis says, stopping him, "Let's be alone for another while."

"Okay," Harry says smiling. 

He sits on the couch again, and Louis sighs, "So, I know I can't stay here. I need to find a place. And it will probably be with Zayn. And I know you are going to be busy and everything so I sorted something out."

"Okay?" Harry says, listening. 

"I called my dad just about we were leaving Cardiff," Louis says, a small smile on his lips at the mention of _his dad,_ "And I said I wanted to go to university here. He accepted and he is willing to pay for my expenses and I'm grateful for that. So, I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to study journalism here."

"That's amazing love!" Harry says, happy for Louis, "I'm so proud!"

"Yeah, he said the same," Louis says, his cheeks tinted a bit pink, "But I still want to work somewhere if it's still possible."

"Oh," Harry says, remembering what Gemma said about letting Louis work for her at the office with Krystal and the others, "I know you will not believe me, but Gemma was actually going to ask you to work for her. She has a small office near here where there's a team that works for us. There's Krystal, my manager. There's also other people that manages social media and deals with partnerships. And they are starting to branch out, linking to other people. So, what do you think?"

"Oh, shit," Louis says, smiling, "That would be amazing! Thank you so much! I can start off as an assistant, I don't want to take advantage of you, but it will be amazing! That sounds actually really cool!"

Louis sounds so excited that Harry can only share the happiness. It's like everything is falling back to pieces. Everything is in order again. And it's only the start of everything else. 

-

"Gemma, I can't thank you enough for everything you are doing for me," Zayn says, looking at the amazing designs that Gemma just showed. 

"It's no problem Zayn," Gemma said, looking at Zayn, "You're the perfect person for this."

"You just made my whole dreams come true," Zayn said, looking at the entire place. 

"Well, not all your dreams," Gemma said, her smirk lingering on her face. 

"What do you mean?" Zayn asks, not getting it. 

"Just so you know, you will get some days off so you can travel to Cardiff and visit... well, you know, probably _someone_ special?" Gemma says, smug now. 

"What are you talking about?" Zayn really, doesn't get it. 

"I know about Liam," Gemma says now, giving up with subtle things. 

"Oh," Zayn says, "Ohhh no no - Liam and I are not - that was a mistake, I - no I don't have anything with him I -,"

"So yeah, you will get days off for him," Gemma says smiling. 

Zayn nods and with his cheeks blushed he smiles, "Thank you."

Gemma nods and continues with her work. 

_TWO WEEKS LATER_

"Ugh, could you not eat in front of me?" Zayn says, entering the living room.

"Well, I'm sorry Mr. _I'm a model now I'm on diet_ Malik," Louis says, biting once more from his taco, "But I'm hungry."

"I miss tacos so much," Zayn says, sighing, "But I'm living the life. I was just a little boy from Cardiff and now I'm smashing it!"

Louis laughs at that, "Yes, you are."

"Aren't you late for work?" Zayn says, still envious of Louis' taco. 

"Harry was supposed to come and look for me," Louis says, looking at the clock hanging on the wall. 

And just like that, the bell rings. 

"That must be him," Louis says standing up.

"Careful with the salsa," Zayn says, looking at Louis running around with the taco, "You might up getting your shirt dirty and get confused by someone else. And we know how that might turn up."

"Shut up," Louis says laughing. 

Louis runs to the door and opens it. 

"Hey," Louis says, leaning closer and kissing Harry. 

"Hey," Harry says after the kiss, "I love when you taste like carnitas."

"Ewww," Zayn says from the kitchen. 

"Sorry," Louis laughs, "Gonna leave this and get ready."

"Sure bub," Harry says smiling, "Hey Zayn!"

"Hey H," Zayn salutes, getting his green juice ready. 

Harry smiles and closes the door behind him, heading to the small living room and sitting there, waiting for Louis. 

"I'm ready!" Louis says, coming again, "We have to go now, or I'll be late."

"Okay then," Harry says smiling, "Bye Zayn!"

"Bye Zaynie!" Louis shouts too, and Zayn only mumbles, dismissing them. 

"Did you talk to your mother?" Harry asks, while walking to the lift. 

"Yeah, yesterday," Louis says smiling, "She's doing fine. She actually told me she met a man, a doctor apparently. I think his name is Dan Deakin."

"Well, that's good," Harry says, getting inside the lift. 

"Yeah, perfect," Louis says, the lift getting closed. 

Louis turns around then and gets Harry against the wall, leaning closer, going for a kiss. 

"Hi there," Louis says after the kiss, smirking cheekily. 

"Hi," Harry says, licking his lower lip. 

"We should do something tonight," Louis says, almost like a whisper, "Or I should do something to you tonight."

"See? You're the master of teasing," Harry says, his voice hoarse. 

"Yes, that I am," Louis says, pecking Harry one last time. 


	25. 25. truly, madly, deeply

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im deeply sorry for not updating here. the story was finished on wattpad but not here so im so so sorry. here's the last crappy chapter :) enjoyyyy

_ONE YEAR LATER_

It's a normal, chilly salty day in Cardiff. It's like  the commotion that happened one year ago isn't even important anymore. People is now used to seeing Harry and Louis on the streets, since Harry has been keeping a low profile and Cardiff looks like a second home now. Sure, they still live in London and Louis is about to start his second year of journalism career, which has been good. He worked at Gemma's office for a year but he is now looking for an internship to start building up his resume and get more experience. 

Everything has been a rush, to be honest. Gemma's line with Chanel has been so successful and with that, Zayn has become one of the new fresh faces everybody wants to book. Just ask Yves Saint Laurent and Burberry. And sure, Zayn is still loyal to Gemma, but Gemma would never get in between Zayn's career so they have a rather open contract. 

It's all perfect, really. Everything turned out just right. And with that, it's only normal they all take a break for a wedding.

The weather is perfect in Cardiff and Louis can feel the salt in his lips. Right there, with the sea in front of his eyes, the memories of last year seem like another distant life. All those e-mails now buried by spam, work and school. Sure, sometimes Harry and Louis would find them just to read them and be sentimental for a while. But after all of it, Louis is so happy that they are now there. 

"Hey Lou," Gemma says quietly, setting beside him. 

"Hey Gems," Louis says with a faint smile, "What's up?"

"Everything is ready," Gemma says smiling. 

Louis sighs and nods, "Right."

Louis offers his arm and Gemma takes it, both of them walking to the area just a few feet away. 

It's a little area, right beside the Forelsket shop. It's all like a snap from an old scrapbook. White fancy chairs, with orange and blue details, ribbons and pieces of fabric dancing in the wind, hanging from wood posts, sometimes messing with the fairy lights that are also hanging from post to post. There's a small platform, just in the very front of everything, where the wedding will be happening. 

People are just positioning themselves and it's all happening. Gemma disappears between all the people - probably to be right beside Niall, which it's weird because Louis never thought those two would end up together, like... never. Let's just say everything started about six months ago when Liam came down to visit Zayn and he brought Niall with him. Well, the irish lad did impress Gemma because they have been inseparable ever since. 

It's weird really, the little weird family they have all created; but Louis loves it, he finally is happy, full and content with his life. But anyway, Louis should go now and find his mother. It's time for a wedding. 

-

"And you, Johannah, accept Dan to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honour and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Jay says, smiling to Dan, Louis just behind her, smiling as big as he can. 

Louis can see Harry just behind Dan, smiling brightly to the couple, hearing the priest continue with the wedding. Louis zones out for a moment, lost in Harry's image, thinking how maybe in a few years, it can be them getting married. It's a bit early to think about it to be honest, and in other circumstances Louis would never even think about it - but with Harry, with Harry everything is like this. He takes Louis out of his comfort zone and he makes him do things that he would never even think about doing. He pushes him to the limit, able to ask for more and want more. He makes him aim higher, do more things, better things. It's been quite a change, but Louis is so happy. 

It's not like they haven't talked about it. It has always been present, the idea of a _future_ and _forever_. And sure, there's been bad and rough days but they have been together for more than a year and Louis is sure he wants Harry for the rest of his life. Just looking at him now, with such a wide smile, both dimples out, his face glowing with happiness. Louis wants to come closer but the wedding is not finished and he is struggling to control himself. _He really loves Harry._

"And so with the power the state has given me, I declare you now, husband and wife," the man says, looking finally and Jay and Dan, "You may now kiss the bride."

Everyone burst into cheers and Jay and Dan kisses, smiles plastered on their faces. Louis has never seen his mother that happy and it's such a relief that after so long, he finally knows she is going to be okay. 

Louis catches Harry watching him, and they instantly smile. And it makes Louis' heart flutter, like it's the first time ever and he knows he would never be tired of that feeling, of that excitement Harry makes him feel, every time they see each other. No, Louis is never getting tired of that. 

"Hey," Harry says, getting closer, putting one hand behind Louis' back, pulling him closer, "Is everything all right?" 

Louis looks up to see him and smiles, "Perfect, actually."

"That's good," Harry says, kissing Louis' forehead. 

They get off from the platform and walk to the little reception where everybody is heading, the white massive tent where the tables and chairs are waiting, along with the food and open bar. 

Harry has his hand wrapped around Louis' and seriously, no one thought their lives would come out like this. Harry Styles, famous model from _Gemma Styles Designs_ , it's now living a calm, chill life with his boyfriend Louis Tomlinson, a normal, typical twenty one year-old lad, living in Cardiff.

Life has a weird sense of humour, right? It's like it doesn't matter what you plan for your entire future, life has a different plan and all of the sudden you're in a new different path. Yeah, Louis is not complaining. 

He can see his dad sitting with Christina and Becca - his mother was kind enough to let Louis invite them, because now they are kind of family too. And it's good, Louis has now an actual dad, one that he can call whenever he wants, whenever he needs something. Something like advice or stuff of school. And Mark has been great, despite all the things he remembers he once heard from his mother. 

They arrive to their seats and Harry sighs, "I've been wanting to seat for a while," he says, faking tiredness. 

"You're always complaining I swear," Louis says, rolling his eyes. 

"Uh, I'm sorry, I thought you were the one complaining earlier about those pants been too tight," Harry says, looking at Louis' navy blue pants, "Although I don't complain about those, because you look fine."

"Damn it Harry, control yourself kid," Louis scolds him. It's all bantering of course, but that doesn't stop Harry from pouting, which means he wants a kiss, a quick one. And Louis has to do it. 

There's a lot of chat going around with the tables all around them filling quickly with different guests - from distant relatives, to friends, to neighbors and some other random people that Louis is sure are from Dan's part. 

"What's in your mind?" Harry asks, almost audible but loud enough for Louis to listen, really near him. 

"I want cake now," Louis says, putting his fists on the table, "Screw the food, give me my slice of chocolate cake!"

"I thought it was vanilla? With buttercream frosting," Harry says, getting lost in thoughts. 

"How would you even know?" Louis says, inspecting Harry.

"Your mom told me," Harry says shrugging like it's nothing, "I was trying to convince her to give _Better Than Sex_ cake but then we thought about what if guests wanted to know about the cake, so yeah we agreed on vanilla."

"We?" Louis says with high pitched voice, "I swear to God, she prefers you as a son!" 

"Well, I don't mind if she wants me as a son," Harry says, trying to be cheesy, "I would actually love to be part of her family in the future."

Louis apparently is ignoring him, "You know what? Fine, you two get to talk about cakes and frosting but she gave birth to me! Why wasn't I able to suggest chocolate cake?"

"Louis," Harry says, trying to catch his attention, "Did you hear what I say?"

"Of course I did!" Louis says, looking at him, "You traitor!"

"Always such a drama queen," Harry says, rolling his eyes. 

Louis giggles and turns to see Harry, "I love that my mom sees you as part of the family," he has so much fond in his eyes, that Harry is smiling now, "I love you so so much."

_I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where..._

_-_

The celebration continues, everybody is eating and drinking - the noise is louder and louder, from cheers to laughs, all around the place, people are enjoying themselves. Soon comes the dessert and everyone is quiet - or they are trying really - and Louis curses the way Harry is smiling when he sees the vanilla cake coming their way. 

Anyway, it's all beautiful and soon the sun is setting down and the fairy lights are now on and maybe it's the booze, the energy or the whole aura of the moment, but it feels magical. 

People are dancing and Louis doesn't recognise the song but he is starting to get drunk, right in that phase when everything starts to look blurry but he still knows what he is doing but he just feels so light. 

And Harry is feeling the same way apparently because he drags Louis to the floor and they start dancing. They can see Gemma and Zayn giggling, probably at the way they are dancing but Louis doesn't care. Soon, they all join them, the music blasting through their ear all the way to their brains and Louis is in such a good state that he thinks he is infinite. This whole thing, feels infinite. 

They keep dancing, not caring about the people watching them or the people going, because yes - the party is dying out and people are starting to leave. 

Louis is pretty sure he is drunk now, after what seemed like so many glasses of champagne - apparently champagne tastes funny, _feels funny_ and Louis wanted to feel that over and over again - and Harry is drunk too, but he somehow can manage to look better. He always looks better. 

"I hate you," Louis says, his face on Harry's chest, arms around his neck, slowly tumbling through the dance floor, slow music filling their ears. Harry has his hands on Louis' waist, somehow gripping hard, firm. But his cheek in pressed against Louis' hair and he just loves to be there and be able to inhale Louis' scent. 

"You don't," Harry says, with a light smile. 

"No, but I tried my best," Louis says, still on Harry's chest, "I did try to hate you once. And I couldn't. And now he are here and there's no way now I can live without you."

"Don't say that love, don't say that," Harry says, pressing Louis tighter to him, "Don't be sad."

"M' not even sad," Louis says, finally looking up to see Harry, "Just saying. You are my definition of happiness now. This is what happy looks like."

Harry smiles to him and leans down, kissing Louis with such care and love that it's really probable their mouths are melting into each other. And it's brief, but Louis knows is Harry's way to saying that he is his happiness too. After all the drama, all the chaos, after all the paparazzis and all the fans, Harry and Louis are finally together. And there's no one, and nothing that will ever tore them apart.

-

_This is what happy looks like:_

_Rainy days in London. Cardiff's salty air. Antiques and small presents. Sweet short poems. Tea with milk. Thursdays, when he gets to call his dad. Instant photos. Dusty and the way she purrs. Better Than Sex cake. Chicken wrapped in parma ham stuffed with mozzarella with a side of homemade mash. Unlimited hugs from him. His dimples. His incredibly green eyes. Genuine smiles of unknown people. And his smile. All of him. And the absence of smiley faces on e-mails._

_What does it look to you?_

**✉-✉-✉-✉-✉-✉-✉-✉-✉-✉**


End file.
